A Hero Unbroken
by Fenrir Riku
Summary: Sequel to: The Other Half of a Hero. Three years after the fall of Ganondorf, Link decides to leave the land of Hyrule in search of his lost partner and ends up caught investigating the mysterious world of Termina to prevent its destruction. L/DL Yaoi.
1. A Personal Journey

_**AN: Alright everyone, here it is. I finally have my ideas straight and am ready to continue the saga. This story is the sequel to The Other Half of a Hero. Again, like before, there is going to be male/male romance. A few things to point out. A few people got it in the last one; There was no Navi because Dark was her replacement. In this one, there will be no Tatl or Tael for the same reason; the role of Link's Partner is taken, making Tatl unneeded. There will also be no Tingle just because i hate his guts. Also, for those who have played the game, Clock Town is a fair bit larger then you might remember in the game. I think that's it... **_

A Hero Unbroken

A Personal Journey

_**In the land of Hyrule there echoes a legend. A legend held dearly by the Royal Family that tells of a boy… A boy who after battling evil and saving Hyrule, crept away from the land that had made him a legend. Done with the battles he'd once waged across Time, he embarked on a journey. A secret and personal journey. A journey in search of a beloved and invaluable friend…**_

"Please. I need to go after him. You know better than any just how much he means to me."

Link stood alone with the Princess Zelda in her favorite garden of the castle as she listened impassively to the circumstances that prompted such a sudden request for a long leave of absence. Not that she could deny him. How could she when he was the only reason Hyrule was still a kingdom worth speaking of? It wasn't just him of course, but his partner and shadow and lover. That last part had been… rather hard to stomach when she first found out.

After all, she'd spent seven years secretly fantasizing over this boy with the most beautiful piercing blue eyes she'd ever seen only to find out that he was secretly in love with another boy. And not just a boy but an exact replica of himself; so close they could and frequently did pass off as twins. She still couldn't help but snort every time she saw Link and Dark flirting together, especially when it involved words like 'cute' or 'beautiful.' What kind of narcissism must it take to have the audacity to compliment the physical attractiveness of his lover. They were mirror images of each other! Nayru save her if it didn't reek of a secret superiority complex.

Still, the fact that she'd never picked up on the slight differences between the two was all the more proof that Zelda, wise and benevolent ruler of Hyrule was not a people person. Or perhaps, the many conflicting emotions that contributed to the mental crafting of her secret crush Link were more then the princess could comprehend. Either way, it was clear that even if she forbade the savior from leaving, he'd simply vanish in the night on his own. Antisocial or not, Zelda wasn't stupid. She had no delusions that she had any power over him. That was more then proven on the night he defeated Ganon and flagrantly ignored her orders to save his dying lover.

She still dreamed about it sometimes. True, that was on a different timeline but she still dreamed about it, as though the two Zeldas from the two different timelines had fused together into one being, so she knew… She knew she'd been completely wrong and Nayru never hesitated to throw that failure back into her face as a kind of tough love wake up call.

_Link shivered, his blood slicked hands sliding along the hilt of his sword. Through the pain and tear hazed vision, the color was slowly returning to Dark's skin even as it drained away from the pale blond. The spread winged hilt pressed up against his ribs and Link took a deep breath to steady himself. Fully impaled on his sacred sword, there was only one place left for it to go. Crimson eyes widened as sapphire ones closed and Dark watched his partner collapse with an agonized scream in a fountain of blood._

That memory continued to haunt the princess up to that very day and would continue to all the days of her life. Laying a white gloved hand on the ledge of the waist high window, Zelda shut her eyes momentarily while waiting for the sudden dizzy spell to pass.

"Very well… I have no right to stop you but… you have my blessing. I want you to take this with you and when you see Dark, tell him I was sorry," and with that the princess handed over the Ocarina of Time. The light blue instrument was a treasure of the Royal Family but despite that, Link had been the one to carry it at his side and truly give it the use it deserved. Otherwise it would remain in a vault in the Castle Treasury and probably never see the light of day again.

Link and the princess actually had quite a lot in common. Zelda reflected on this thought as Link walked out the grey stone archway towards his room to gather whatever supplies would be needed for this trip. "We both have a deep rooted sense of justice, both bear a Triforce and both put up a cold exterior to keep others away. Perhaps I was just a foolish girl. Even if did achieve a relationship with him, how could it be anything but the cold distance we have now. I have to admit, I'm a bit jealous of Dark. He makes you smile like I never could. If this is what you need to do then good luck Hero, and may the Goddesses smile on your journey."

Though he never got to hear the Princess' confession, Link got the idea from her gift. The Ocarina of Time was her way of saying everything was alright between them; no hard feelings. Her acceptance really meant a lot to him and as he saddled Epona, he realized that he would probably end up missing her. It wasn't until after he was outside with his horses hooves echoing loudly against the cobblestones that he realized, "She said 'when' I see Dark, not 'if'"

Smiling lightly, Link kicked his heels and galloped off into the distance on his trusty steed Epona.

-Three days later-

"I think… I must have gotten soft," Link panted to his horse. Wandering through a seemingly endless forest of drably uniform trees and dense fog, he didn't think he could find his way back if he wanted to by now. The same grey pine bark on the closely packed trunks was all he'd seen for the past two days and the strain of staying awake was starting to get to him. No way was he going to sleep in someplace so dangerous.

For all Link knew, there was some malevolent spirit haunting the woods and just waiting him to fall asleep so it could pounce and abduct him for some kind of dark resurrection ritual where…

"Stop it Link. Get a grip." Stupid overactive imagination. Maybe just a quick nap couldn't hurt. After all… If there was anything waiting out in the dark woods, he'd have found out about it by now. Dropping the reins for just a moment to yawn and stretch his stiff shoulders, the last thing Link saw was an eerie h face with glowing yellow eyes leaping up at him with a feral battle cry.

Startled by the sudden attack Epona reared back, throwing her unprepared rider from the saddle to crash into the hard packed dirt. Rolling to his feet Link lunged forward just as the strange creature dropped into the saddle. Surprised by the unfamiliar weight, the already nervous horse bolted for safety and Link just barely managed to grab the stirrup before his frightened horse took off, dragging the body of her master through the dirt.

Sticks, rocks and clumps of dirt pelted the Kokiri and the contact with the rough ground left patches of shredded skin all down his front. Link grit his teeth, trying to pull himself up but his fingers slipped off the leather loop and he rolled to a stop, dazed.

Looking back, Epona noticed her master laying on the ground and skid to a halt. The strange creature who was riding her, a ragged creature with stick like proportions almost like a living scarecrow were it not for the face. Wild and exotic, the heart shaped purple face sported a mane of short yellow spikes. Giggling with a high pitched echoing voice, the creature hopped off Epona's back and hobbled over to search through the unconscious Link's pockets where it found the Ocarina of Time.

Tilting its head from side to side it placed the blue instrument to its lips and played a single note before collapsing in a fit of giggles. Another toot on the Ocarina and it fell over like that was the funniest thing in the world. Biting back a groan, Link got to his feet glaring daggers at this little imp that mugged him. As soon as the boy was on his feet the imp stiffened and leapt straight up in the air, coming back down on Epona's back and letting off a high pitched scream, startling the horse into movement once more.

"Damn you, get back here with my horse!" Link yelled, running recklessly through the fog after his runaway mount. The trees were just starting to thin out and he saw her run through a tunnel of wood like those that allowed passage through the roots of the giant trees in the Lost Woods. Snarling, he ran through the tunnel after her, his boots thudding heavily against the wood… and then, nothing.

Link's eyes widened as he realized that there was no ground beneath his right foot, that he was standing on the edge of a precipice and nothing he could do would stop him from tumbling down into the dark abyss below.

As he tumbled through the darkness, Link's tired senses made out the strangest things. Faces, that or masks; hundreds of them just floating out in the darkness. Some looked happy, some looked sad and many of them looked oddly familiar. They laughed and cried and stared all to the loud ticking of a clock echoing through the darkness.

**Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick…**

The sound of the clock went on and on, counting the seconds spent falling through the void and suddenly it was gone leaving Link sitting dazed and confused on a strange pink flower out in the middle of a shallow pool of water. Two bright spotlights shone down from overhead, illuminating the imp as it levitated in midair. Now that he was actually able to get a good look, Link saw that the grotesque purple face was in actuality a mask.

"What's with that stupid horse of yours? It doesn't listen to a thing that's told to it. There's no point in riding something like that so I did you a favor and got rid of it." Just like it's laugh the imp had a high voice that seemed to echo, clawing at the insides of Link's ears.

But Epona… Gotten rid of? Did that mean?

Gritting his teeth, Link glared and drew his sword against the hateful spirit who didn't so much bat an eye at killing an innocent animal for no reason.

"Aww, Boo hoo. What's with that face? I just thought I'd have a little fun with you… I mean come on. Do you really think you can beat me as I am now?" Leaning back, the Imp casually crossed one leg over the other and started shaking its head side to side.

All it took was one look into those glowing yellow eyes and Link was hooked. He couldn't look away no matter how hard he tried; his body was frozen in place as a woody rattling sound filled his ears.

Suddenly, he was standing out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by an angry mob of Deku Scrubs that slowly converged in him, adding the rustling sound of their orange autumn leaves. Deku. All he could see, hear, smell, taste, feel was Deku. It engulfed him, swallowing the boy whole like an ocean wave crashing down over his weary mind.

When he finally came to, Link felt very different. The same room as before greeted his waking self and when he got closer, the spot lights cast the shadow of a broken Triforce on the ground, as though the three pieces were no longer in unison. More then that though, Link simply didn't feel like himself anymore. It was like waking up the first time after drawing the Master Sword out of the pedestal to find himself suddenly in an adult body. Except this time… colors all seemed tinged with grey and the scent of dry leaves and pine needles along with all the other smells of the forest were suddenly gone. On the other hand, his sense of touch seemed a lot more sensitive.

Trying to figure out what was going on, Link leaned over the edge of the pond to look at his reflection in the still water to find himself staring back into the dull black eyes of a Deku Scrub. This wasn't like last time. This was worse! "Wh-what!" Link began and then stopped upon hearing his voice come out in a childish squeak.

Taking a deep breath, Link waddled towards the door and promptly tripped over his own feet. He lay there in the dirt, trapped in an unfamiliar body and rapidly losing hope. _What a rotten way to spend my Birthday. Still, I'll be alright so long as I do not panic._

After several calming breaths, Link pushed himself up to try walking again. Taking it slowly this time he eventually worked out how to move on his stubby little legs. It ended up being more of a combination hobble and scurry but it got him around and rather quickly too.

Through the door, he scurried down a long tunnel, soon coming out to another drop off. Another door waited on the other side and a series of pillars interspersed across the chasm would have made it possible to jump across were he still in his normal body. But alas, he knew that the first pillar was far too distant for his short Deku body to make it if nothing else because his ability to jump was now nonexistent. With no tools to help him out and no partner to cheer him up, the Hero of Time was again faced with a discouraging problem.

Sighing, he sat down on a single pink flower much like the one that had cushioned his fall down into this hell hole only to stop and give the flower a second look. A hole was opening up in the center to create a tunnel and he could feel the minute ridges on his palms reacting to the flower as though it were drawing him in.

Deciding to take a chance, Link crawled into the flower and let its dry warmth envelope his body. The flower chamber felt dusty with pollen but at the same time comforting enough for Link's tired body to relax, lightly gripping the flower stems that slipped down into his hands and as soon as it did the flower spat him straight up in the air. Trying very hard not to panic, the rational part of Link's brain marveled at the Deku's ability to feel such small details like the rising air current against his skin. The two pink flowers in his hand actually started spinning against the air current, allowing Link to twist his body and float on the breeze towards the first of the large pillars that spanned the fissure.

On that platform was another of the strange pink flower and again Link climbed down into it feeling slightly more prepared when it shot him into the air. The slight draft flowing through the room carried him with his pink flower helicopter over the bottomless pit to the next platform. They all had those same pink flowers and Link had no problem working the breeze to get where he wanted to go until the very end. Just as he was getting close to the ledge by the door the breeze suddenly died, leaving Link franticly kicking his legs trying to move the last few feet. It almost worked had the flowers in his hands not suddenly collapsed leaving the Deku plummeting with a startled scream, just barely catching the edge of the ledge.

Even grabbing the ledge, Link almost dropped into the abyss anyways; his Deku body ended up being a lot heavier then he'd guess. Sitting on the edge of the platform he realized it was because his short squat body was actually made of solid wood, just like the tree waiting to greet him on this last platform. It looked almost like a person the way the knots were arranged… a sad person, perpetually sitting on the verge of tears.

Leaving the tree to run off down the tunnel, Link's head started spinning as he came to a strange hallway that actually twisted sideways. He'd seen these before in the Forest Temple and walking down them always messed with his head. The walls twisted one way and the path twisted another and he tripped several times running down it but soon Link was back on solid ground.

A shallow but fast rushing stream turned a series of water wheels that connected to a system of poles that ran up through the ceiling. Walking slowly up a wooden ramp, more turning gears and cogs and a large rotating pole in the middle told Link that whatever it was went up higher but no further stairs, ramps or ladders indicated how to get up there.

"You've met with a terrible fate haven't you?"

Link spun around to face the speaker then frowned, recognizing that fake smile and perfectly plastered hair as the man who ran the Happy Mask Shop back in Hyrule. Much as he wanted to ask what the man was doing all the way out here, Link was still thoroughly embarrassed by his squeaky Deku voice. Fortunately the man decided to explain on his own.

"In my travels, I had a very important mask stolen. So here I am at a loss. And now I find you. Actually, don't think me rude but I've been following you, for I know a way to return you to your former self. If you get back the precious item that was stolen from you I will return you to normal. In exchange, I also want you to get back the mask that the Imp stole from me. The only thing is, I'm a busy man and I must leave in three days. Please have the mask back by then."

Link frowned, trying to process all that information. The Happy Mask Salesman had this kind of ability to move from one position to another without actually moving. Though he looked dishonest, Link knew him to be a decent person and so decided to help out. There was only one way out; a large pair of swinging wooden doors. Link pushed his way out and stared, awestruck.

After three days of riding through nothing but forests and using flowers to fly to this ramshackle building, he walked out the doors and into the middle of a bustling city. The low droning buzz of many people talking at once filled the air, punctuated with vendors shouting their wares for passersby to sell. Back towards the wall, a group of workmen carried lumber and tools to construct some kind of scaffolding. Turning back around, the building he'd just left turned out to actually be a large clock tower stating that it was currently 6:00 in the morning, but that wasn't what caught his attention.

High in the sky sat a giant moon with an angry looking face carved into its surface. It looked so close, as though it were going to come crashing down onto the town at any minute, and yet the townspeople calmly went about their lives. Never mind the giant moon glaring down on them like some dark god gazing with dissatisfaction upon the race of mankind.

Trying not to look too much like a gawking country bumpkin, Link trotted through the crowd looking left and right for any sign of that imp as well as taking note of his surroundings as any good Hero would do. Much as he wanted to take in everything, Link frequently found his eyes roaming over to rest on the taffy apple stall. Sadly, empty wallet would not allow for buying snacks.

Come to think of it, Link realized he hadn't the slightest idea what Deku Scrubs ate. Now he definitely couldn't afford any snacks because he had no idea what might accidentally kill him if he ate it. Sighing and keeping out of everyone else's way, a small grey dog ran up to Link wagging its tail. "Aww, hi there… doggy?"

As soon as it smelled him, the dog's hackles rose and it growled, baring its teeth. The crowd parted and most people stopped what they were doing to watch a Deku Scrub run screaming down the street with a grey Scottish Terrier chasing after him.

He finally lost the dog in an den of narrow alleyways running between buildings and the exhausted Deku slumped against a wall. It was several minutes before a voice snapped him out of his depression induced haze. "Hey, you alright? If you've got a problem, the Bombers can help."

Link looked up at a little kid with a blue cap talking to him, "Plenty of problems. Do the Bombers break curses?"

"Curses? Nope, sorry. We're not that good. But hey, maybe the Great Fairy can help."

Finally, things were looking up. A Great Fairy would definitely be helpful. "Yes, I think I'll try that. Is she close?"

"Uh huh. She lives up on the north side of town. C'mon, I'll show you," the boy offered and Link gladly jumped up and followed after him.

True to his word, the Bomber took him through the streets of the city to a less populated area that looked more like a park then the metropolitan areas further south. "She's in that cave right over then. Well, see ya around."

Smiling to himself and thanking the boy, Link trotted through the short clipped grass, chuckling at the irony that after so many times of finding Great Fairies in the most obscure places, this one would literally be nothing more then a walk in the park. Once he got inside the cave however his laughter came to an abrupt halt.

Instead of one Great Fairy, a group of smaller ones floated aimlessly over the shallow pool of water, their golden aura glinting off the bright ivory pillars. "Oh young one, hear our plea. The masked Skull Kid has broken us into pieces. Please find the one missing fairy and return it here."

Walking back out of the Fairy Fountain Link mentally chided himself for getting lax. _Did I not learn this well enough in my last journey? Anything that can go wrong does go wrong. It happens without fail. This is my punishment for being enthusiastic._

For the next several hours Link wandered the city just getting a lay of the land. The city, Clocktown he learned it was called, was fairly large; slightly bigger then Hyrule Castle Town. Still, it was difficult to get lost with the Clock tower as an ever present reference point.

The city itself was very simply divided up into four main sections; North, South, East and West. The south section of town where he'd started off held the clock tower and was the central area where most the festivities were taking place. Of to the west was what he would have assumed to be the bad side of town were it not for the trading post and post office located there. The trading post he assumed would be some dark ramshackle place for under the counter deals. Instead, as soon as he walked in he was greeted by the familiar music that played in the background of every single store across the country of Hyrule. Strange, he'd always figured it was a Shop's Union thing…

Over on the east side were the main tourist attractions. Second largest next to the south section, the east side had many different game parlors, restaurants as well as several hotels. Much as he would have liked a room, with no money that wouldn't happen. So, with no food and no sleep Link was running off nothing more then sheer will power. It had served him before and would serve him again.

Oddly, there was also one of those pink flowers positioned near a balcony of an in called the "Stock pot."

After spending all day wandering around, night was fell rapidly and the exhausted Link didn't think he could stay awake any longer. "Maybe being a Deku isn't so bad," he mumbled, climbing into pink flower and letting the flower pollen coat his body. If he didn't grab the stems then the launch reflex wouldn't activate and so Link spent the night in a cozy little floral cocoon.

It was around 5:00 when he woke up, panicking with waking up in an unfamiliar place where he couldn't move but the memory slowly came back and sighing he grabbed the stems and pulled. The flower shot him into the cool early morning air and what should he see but a single golden fairy floating trapped in a bubble suspended in midair. "Well, that was easy."

Link hovered over the bubble then let go of his 'flower copter' to drop to the ground, taking the bubbled fairy with him. It took a few times getting lost on his way to North Clock Town but Link eventually arrived in the lightly wooded sector and the short ramp in the distance that would take him to the Great Fairy's Fountain.

His wooden feet clacked noisily along the bright white tiles that lead to the fountain itself where Link tossed in the bubble, watching it pop as soon as it touched the water. Reunited the fairies converged down into a single point and the Great Fairy rose out of the water, whole and complete and letting out her signature ear splitting laugh.

"Thank you kind young one, I am the Great Fairy of Magic. Thank you for returning my broken and shattered body to whole. It was the Skull Kid that did this to me. I thought he was helping me and I grew careless. All I can do is give you magic power."

The Great Fairy flipped over, taking on a very suggestive position on all fours to display the generous cleavage hidden behind nothing but thin trailing tattoos that covered her body. Why she had to act all seductive to a Deku Scrub was beyond Link's ability to grasp.

A column of light shone down from the ceiling and the feel of magic once more entering his body overwhelmed the Deku's senses like the heady scent of too strong perfume. It made his head spin but oh, did it feel right to be able to sense magic again.

At the end of the battle to save Hyrule, it had taken literally everything Link had to offer to save his partner's life. Every tool he possessed, his magic, his very life itself and while he had survived, his body remained depleted of the additional stamina he'd built up over the course of his journey. Physically, Link was nothing more then an ordinary thirteen year old kid.

"The astrologer outside town might know of Skullkid's whereabouts. If you return to your former self, return to me and I will aid you further," and with one last mad cackle, the Fairy sank back down into the waters of the fountain again.

Back outside, Link took a deep breath, savoring the feel of magic welling inside him. Slowly, he let the breath out but was surprised to see the magic forming a bubble at the end of his little wooden snout. Panicking slightly he aimed his head back and sneezed, sending the bubble flying off into the distance to pop a large purple balloon floating over the park. Panting lightly, Link sat down trying to figure out why having magic made his snot bubble up like that. Deku Scrubs couldn't be allergic to magic could they? The Goddesses would be getting some very angry prayers if that was the case.

"Hey, you're the one who popped it! Not bad for a Deku Scrub." The new voice sounded oddly familiar and he looked up to se a kid with a red cap coming toward him.

"Oh, I'm very sorry. The Great Fairy told me I should talk to an astrologer who lives outside town. Do you know where I can find him?"

"Sure do. My name's Jim and I'm the leader of the Bombers. We've got a secret way to get to the observatory but you need a password. I might tell you what it is if you pass my test. You ready?"

Link sighed and nodded. Somehow he knew something like this would end up happening. It always did. Murphy's law at its best…

From a string around his neck Jim pulled a whistle and just a short minute after blowing it, four other bombers in matching blue and white shorts came running up to stand in a single file line. "Alright, if you can find all of us by tonight, I'll tell you the code. Ok? Everyone, Scatter!"

In less then ten seconds, the regimen of child vigilantes completely vanished from Link's sight, leaving him to wander the city in search of them.

The first he found in a back alley on the west side. It was sheer luck that got him coming up on the bomber from behind. A quick tap on the shoulder and the started boy spun around, stomping angrily. "Shoot, you found me!"

Traveling down a narrow road towards South Clock Town, Link kept his eyes peeled and soon found what he was looking for; a blue cap moving through the crowd. It wasn't all that hard to sneak up on him either. The real challenge started in East Clock Town. The first boy he came to was sitting out in the open, waiting for him and as soon as Link came into view, the Bomber was on his feet and running away.

For Link, running wasn't all that much of a problem but the agile bomber was well used to playing tag and the Deku spent several minutes chasing him in circles and almost catching him several times before the Bomber ran up a flight of stairs towards where the eastern gate of the city was. Worried that he might try to leave the city, Link put on a burst of speed and tackled the Bomber, hazarding a sigh of relief until…

"CUUUUCCCCKKOOOOOO!"

At the highest point of the eastern section, a second Bomber stood on the edge of a drop with a flailing chicken over his head and just as Link started running the boy jumped, using the chicken to hover over to an isolated patio on an inn that couldn't be reached for the ground. Pausing for a smug smile, the boy turned and walked inside.

Getting down on ground level, Link eyed the door. The first thing to come to mind was that the Bomber probably had some way of knowing when someone opened the front door so he'd use that as a signal to slip out the back… but…

Smiling a little to himself, Link walked over to the pink flower and used it to shoot up into the air and land on the Stock Pot Inn terrace and slip in the back door. As expected, the Bomber was sitting patiently at the top of the stairs, caught totally unaware of a threat from behind.

West, South, East… North. Snorting lightly, Link headed off to North clock town and indeed, there was Jim, standing casually off to the side.

They just watched for a moment, each one sizing the other up before racing off at the same time. Jim headed for a bank of waist high weeds that Link's short little body wouldn't navigate through well, but Link didn't follow him. Instead, he ran the opposite direction to climb into the pink flower near the Fairy Fountain and launched into the air.

Cautiously, Jim poked his head out of the weeds and walked out into the open, spinning in circles to see any attack as soon as it happened. It allowed him to keep an eye on every direction but up.

"Tag."

"Gyaah! Where did you? … Never mind."

Sighing, Jim gave another long blow on his whistle and the other four Bombers lined up and turned around. Each had a number on his back to show the passcode.

"53412. The entrance is in East Clock Town," Shaking his head regretfully Jim added, "If only you were human. Then we could give you an original Bomber's Notebook."

The initiation finished, the five Bombers went back to their respective activities, leaving Link alone to trudge back to his flower in front of the Inn. As he headed back, a large group of people happened to be passing the opposite direction and Link had to stand aside to wait for the crowd to pass. From the bright harlequin costumes and gaudy accessories, he assumed it was some kind of performing arts group, and yet amidst the crowd was a moving smudge of black that almost looked like…

But no, he'd worry about that later. First, he needed sleep and badly. He'd been without for the past week and only a few hours simply wasn't good enough. Much as he could stretch out his needs, he couldn't just wipe them out. Sooner or later his exhaustion would catch up with him and Murphy's Law stated that it would happen at the worst possible moment. Best not to tempt fate again for that had happened once before and it had cost dearly.

Back inside his flower, Link curled up on a bed of pollen. Had he been human, it would have been extremely stuffy, but having no nose, he wasn't bothered at all by it. It was actually kind of nice…

The next morning, Link popped out of his flower and dropped the copter stems almost immediately. The alleyway to the observatory would be guarded night and day by a Bomber guard. There was a brief exchange as the guard verified the password and Link was headed down into the sewers of Clock Town.

A sudden burst of stale air assaulted his nose at the end of the downward sloping passage. A torpid stream of sewer water flowed down a canal. To the left it ended in bars but the passage continued forward… somewhat. The space to move forward was completely flooded with only three platforms extending out of the water to hold torches that burned with a black oily smoke.

He didn't really want to swim through that… but on the other hand, he'd trudged though and mapped out a whales intestines on a three day journey before so it couldn't be much worse. Gingerly stepping into the water, he was surprised to find that his porous wooden foot would float… kind of, as long as he didn't put too much weight on it. Taking a few steps back, he ran towards the water, skipping over the surface like it was hot coals on his bare feet and the next think Link knew, he was out on a platform in the middle of the sewage river with nothing but his feet wet. "Maybe being a Deku has its perks."

Link grinned and hopped from island to island, soon making it across to continue down the corridor.

It was just like coming into Clock Town for the first time; A long walk through a dingy hallway and suddenly he was in the middle of civilization. Sparkly metal instruments glittered at him from all over and a chicken watched the intruder from inside a small cage. A spiral set of stairs ringed the outer wall, leading up to a giant telescope poking through the domed roof pained over with images of stars and their constellations.

Standing with his eye to the lens of the giant telescope stood a white haired old man in blue robes. Now Link was positive; he'd seen this man before. Back in Hyrule, he used to wander the Castle Town Market deep in thought. Though they'd never talked, his slightly eccentric appearance always stood out. "Oh, hello. Another friend of the Bombers?" the old man asked pleasantly. Clearly he didn't recognize Link but then, being a Deku Scrub, that was understandable.

"Yes sir. I was told by the Great Fairy that you might know where Skull Kid is?"

The astronomer snorted, altering the angle of the telescope to point towards Clock Town. "Yes… The last 'friend' the Bombers brought turned out to be nothing but a hooligan. He threatened to break my instruments! Yes, there he is now, standing on top of the Clock Tower. I have no idea how he got up there. The top of the tower doesn't open until midnight on the night of the festival… tonight. You seem like a much nicer boy then he is. It's a good thing he didn't find out about my Moons Tear. It fell into my front yard a few days ago. Nice things always come after the bad. Would you like to hear the story of the time traveling scarecrow?"

Politely declining the offer, Link excused himself and ran back through the sewers to emerge in the bustling section of East Clock Town during a traffic rush. Stuck in his narrow alleyway, Link could do nothing but sit back and wait for the crowds to thin. Again, pale skin, black hair, red eyes strolling through the crowd… But he was too far away to do anything and just as before, as soon as the crowd passed, he was gone…

Going back out to South Clock Town, a glance at the giant Clock Tower put the time at 6:00 in the evening. Sighing, Link ran off to North Clock Town to go digging around in the weeds looking for money. Tall grass almost always had a few rupees hiding in it. Digging through the weeds got him a good ten rupees and Link's stomach grumbled persistently but sadly, he had no idea what to eat and experimenting so close to when he would go up and take on Skull Kid would not be wise.

"Take on Skull Kid with what? Snot bubbles?" Sighing, Link flopped down on his back and immediately gasped. When had the moon gotten that big? Surely it wasn't so huge when he arrived…

In spite of the great angry moon slowly bearing down on the world, the throngs still milled the streets in their bright gaudy outfits and glossy masks formed into fantastic shapes. Everywhere was music and dancing in the streets with vendors tending their stalls to sell to the short lines of people who waited their turn to by snacks or beverages or whatever that particular vendor was offering. Most of the people who weren't dancing stood around the smaller tower that had just recently been constructed and held lines of streamers and festive paper lanterns. Still, an undercurrent of something hung in the air. Hesitation? Uncertainty? No, it was more like fatalism. These people who danced their hearts out in the squares of South Clock Town did so with a knowledge that they had no chance to live. In this, the impending apocalypse, the townsfolk had nothing else to do but to eat drink and be merry for tomorrow they would die.

The moon… For the first time, Link really realized just the kind of perilous situation he was in. Had he but known a few days earlier he wouldn't have spent so much time on trivial things. All he could do was try to get the mask back for the Happy Mask Salesman so that is what he determined to do. After all, if Link was going to die, it might as well be in his own body.

Still, there were a few hours left to kill so he made his way over to East Clock Town. Stopping at the Bulldog inn, Link waited around for a bored looking teenager to walk up to the counter. "Can I help you?" he asked, obviously irritated to be dragged away from whatever he was doing.

"Yes, could you tell me if you have a reservation for a Mr. Dark?" Shamed as he was of his squeaky childish voice, Link at least wanted to get some closure.

"Dark… Dark… Nope, no one like that here."

"I see. Thank you…"

Back outside, Link wandered around, looking for more inns to try asking at. "I know I saw him somewhere around here…" Sadly, the next three inns ended with the same result. One building he tried ended up being a bar and Link was promptly shown the door. That left only one inn left, the Stock Pot. The person at the desk, a plump matronly woman with frizzled red hair answered. "Well hello dear. How can I help you?" she asked with a pleasant smile.

"Could you tell me if a Mr. Dark is staying here?"

She hesitated, torn between not wanting to give out information and having to resist an innocent little Deku Scrub. "Please? Big brother promised he'd buy me a taffy apple."

That did it. Unable to resist the boy's wiles, the woman scanned the roster for a moment before tapping a spot on the page. "Why yes we do. Room 207 up on the second floor."

With a quick thank you, Link ran up the stairs, counting down the rooms til he reached 207 and hesitantly pushed the door open only to find a dark empty room there to crush his hopes. "Damn it… I know you're out there… somewhere…"

Night was quickly falling as the Deku tottered his way over to West Clock Town, the least explored section of town to look for Dark. The narrow streets seemed more or less deserted save for a few people, one of whom Link also recognized just like the astronomer. Sitting in front of a large safe sat a girl with straight cut dark, red hair and patched green clothes. Back in Hyrule Castle Town, she'd often sat underneath the stairs of the Bombchu Bowling Alley. What was she doing here?

"Hey there little guy, you come to open a bank account?"

Link looked around, surprised she was talking to him. The girl he knew was blind. Indeed, stepping closer, this girl had the same milky white eyes so how could she know? Still, a bank account. What could it hurt if the world was ending soon anyways? "Alright. I only have ten rupees though…"

"Ah, that's no problem. It's good to start saving with whatever you've got. Now just come over here so I can stamp you with my special ink…" A quick thumb print on the forehead was all it took but Link felt the magic in it. It was just a recognition spell; a passive bit of energy that would allow the blind bank teller to recognize him if and when he came again.

"Alright, you've got ten rupees saved up. Be sure to save up lots more and come back cause I've got a prize for the best savers!"

West Clock Town was mostly deserted and North had little more then lovers spending their final hours in a more comforting atmosphere. East Clock Town had groups of entertainers with plenty of people standing around laughing and watching jugglers and fire breathers and a pair of dancing twins but no Dark…

That left South Clock Town which was packed with people. Short as he was, Link would never find his lover in this giant mass of people. But then, he didn't have to. Just a moment after arriving in the south section of town, fireworks whistled, lighting up the night sky with brilliant bursts of colors and showers of sparks that had the crowds cheering for the pinnacle of the festival.

Sliding along the wall, Link made his way towards the Clock Tower as the wooden slats in the center platform dropped down to form a staircase. Several people had to stop and glare down at the Deku Scrub pushing his way through the crowd to make it to the ramp leading up to the stairs.

As expected, waiting at the very top of the Clock Tower hovered the frail body of Skull Kid, staring down curiously through the malevolent eyes of his mask. "So… You've come to try and stop me again have you…. Hero of Time? I know who you are. The Grand Savior of Hyrule. Do you think getting lucky in one journey makes you worthy of being a Hero? You think that one success and you can take on anything? Well look above you. If it's something that can be stopped, just try and stop it."

Throwing its head back, Skull Kid let out a harsh echoing command of magic, screaming to the moon and the moon answered the call. Its dull angry eyes lit up and the giant mass of rock began growing closer and closer, as though whatever force had been holding it back vanished, allowing the moon to go into free fall.

Stuck in the body of a Deku Scrub, Link attacked the howling Skull Kid with the only weapon he had. A thick green bubble formed as big as he could make it and sent the bubble of magic flying up at his enemy. The attack didn't seem to hurt the Skull Kid so much as startle it. The force knocked him back only a few inches, but unbeknownst to the flying Imp, the Ocarina of Time fell out of his pocket to clatter to the ground.

"You only have five minutes. What do you plan to do?"

Only five minutes? With no weapon that could harm this creature and only five minutes before the moon came crashing down to obliterate the town, Link honestly had no idea what to do, but still he refused to give up. Running forward to grab the Ocarina, as soon as he touched it a memory from his former journey flashed through his mind. Nayru's voice echoed as though she were actually speaking to him.

"**Hero of Time, you shall have the power of time at your aid to use that which you have earned. If you should have need of the Goddess of Time, speak your prayers and I shall listen."**

Dropping to his knees, Link shut his eyes, offering up a silent supplication to the heavens. In his mind, Link saw the form of the Goddess Nayru, her body of burnished gold glowing radiant as the sun. Walking through the blackness, her sapphire eyes narrowed as she explained what to do.

It was simple, so simple. Trying to take out his Ocarina, Link instead found himself wearing large brass pipes but somehow, he instinctively knew how to play them. Six notes, only six to play the Song of Time that had originally opened the door to the Divine Realm where the Hero of Time laid ahold of the sacred Master Sword. The notes echoed out over Clock Town, loud, harsh, brassy and correct.

Something grabbed ahold of Link and the world faded into a white blur with nothing in the back ground save the ticking of a clock as once again, Link fell through the flow of time to a destination unknown.

**Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick…**


	2. Gift of the Year

**_AN: Sorry bout the wait guys! My editor vanished in a sand storm or something, i dunno. So! If anyone remembers my mentioning that my previous plans were changed, this is why. Please review. I'd love to see the comments X3_**

**Gift of the Year**

**Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick…**

And suddenly it was over. Link stood in front of the Clock Tower in the early morning breeze. Turning around, he saw that the clock said that it was only 6:00 in the morning and the moon was much farther up in the sky, as it had been when he first arrived. No signs at all could be found of the giant party that had been going on just moments before. In fact, the scaffolding for the tower was still under construction. But… he remembered seeing it completed on his way around.

Walking back into the Clock Tower, the Happy Mask Salesman spotted the blue Ocarina in Link's hands and immediately jumped forward, shaking the boy's shoulders. "Oh! You got it! You got it! You got it! You got it! You got it! You got it! You got it! Now, please listen well to the song I am about to perform."

With that, the salesman walked over and sat at the largest piano Link had ever seen. It even put Ganondorf's giant organ to shame. And worse, Link didn't remember it having been there before. How the Happy Mask Salesman had managed to get a 704 key piano into the Clock Tower was beyond him. Moreover, how had he missed that thing?

Link expected, with a piano that size, for the song to be amazingly complex, but no. It revolved around three simple notes. The song itself was a bit longer but three central notes were frequently repeated.

The calming melody drifted into Link's mind, quieting the discomfort, the stress and making all the negative emotions just melt away, leaving him at peace.

A sudden clatter of wood hit the ground and Link looked down on a mask of what had previously been his Deku face. Reaching down to pick it up, he was overjoyed to see tan skin, and fingers too! Finally, he was back to normal!

"This is a melody that heals evil magic and troubled spirits, turning them into masks. I'm sure it will be of assistance to you in the future. Ah, and I give you this mask in commemoration of this day. When you wear the mask, you will transform into the shape you once were and when you take it off, you will return to normal."

Link dropped his hands to his knees and let out a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived.

"Now, I have fulfilled my promise to you. Please give me that which you promised me."

An uncomfortable silence stretched on as Link tried to figure out how to break the news easily. "I…don't have it…"

Upon hearing that, the Happy Mask Salesman did something Link had never seen before. He opened his eyes.

"What have you done to me! If my mask stays out there, something terrible will happen!" he screamed, grabbing Link and lifting him off the ground, shaking him back and forth.

"It is called Majora's Mask. It is an accursed artifact that was used by an ancient tribe in hexing rituals. It bestows an evil and wicked power on the one wearing it… according to legend, the catastrophe it brought about was so great that the ancient ones sealed it away to prevent its misuse. Please, you have to get it back! I went to great lengths to get that mask and now that imp has it. I'm begging you, you have to get it back! You have to get it back!"

By now, the Mask Salesman was back to shaking Link like a rag doll to get an answer. "A-alright, alright! I'll get the mask back."

"Good. I knew you would say that. You'll be fine! Surely you can do it. Believe in your strengths…believe…"

Promising he would, Link slowly backed away before running out the door. "Alright, now to figure out what in Nayru's name is going on around here." The first thing he did was head to North Clock Town to see Jim, who stood in the middle of the park trying to pop a balloon with a blowpipe.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for a Deku Scrub who's been wandering around here; I was wondering if you'd seen him?"

"A Deku Scrub? Ehh, can't say I've seen one of them," the red capped Bomber's leader replied handing the blowpipe over to Link. "You wanna give it a shot?"

Taking the pipe, Link sized up the distance to the balloon and the small darts Jim had been using, set the wooden shaft to his lips and blew. The dart shot out and popped the balloon with a shower of sparks. "Eh? You're pretty good. Hey, how would you like to become an honorary Bombers member?"

Link just smiled and played along. The speech was more or less the same and the Bombers hid in most of the same places. Still, the Deku did have its advantages such as a faster running speed so by the time he'd caught all five Bombers, it was getting late into the afternoon. With his official Bombers Notebook in hand, he headed off for West Clock Town, with the Deku Mask tucked safely into his pocket. However, he never needed to use it.

"Hey, Link! Welcome back to the bank. You have a balance of ten rupees."

Link stiffened, turning to stare at the blind bank teller. "Could you tell me…when I made that deposit?"

"I'unno, but that's how much you have." Link frowned, scratching his head. Why would he still have money in the bank? The best idea he could come up with was that Nayru, the Goddess of Order, wouldn't mess with an established system like a bank. She was the one who had established the laws in the first place.

"Hmm…then, could you tell me when the festival is?"

"Sure, that's in two days pal."

"Then I'll withdraw five rupees."

Heading back to South Clock Town, Link finally was able to satisfy the craving that had been gnawing at his stomach for the past three days.

"One taffy apple, please."

Wandering away from the stand munching on his apple, Link looked for someplace to spend the change. Perhaps, he'd buy himself some candy…the Hero of Time allowed himself a smile as he licked the sweet coating off his lips when something else caught his eye.

At this time, the vendors mostly had souvenirs or food to offer but one stall was selling more practical items; spices and such for wives to take home. Apparently Clock Town produced the best parsley in the whole country. Being a fourteen year old boy though, Link had little use for the parsley or cinnamon cloves the spice merchant offered. Still, he did spend his last three rupees on a small bottle of olive oil.

Strolling along, absently biting around the edges of his crisp sweet apple, Link's thoughts were far away from his stomach. Making his way towards East Clock Town, he was busy reflecting on how the universe seemed to be making a conscious effort to make him miserable. More then that, he was steeling himself for what he knew he'd end up doing. In spite of the universe's best efforts, the timing was perfect.

Pitching the apple core to the side, Link trotted into the Stock Pot Inn to be greeted at the desk by a different woman from before. Like many of the other people who wandered Clock Town, she also looked familiar; Anju, the woman from Kakariko Village who kept chickens as pets even though she was allergic to them.

"Good evening. Welcome to the Stock Pot Inn. Are you… here for a room, because I'm afraid we're all booked up" she said hesitantly but Link just smiled and shook his head.

"No, my friend Dark told me he's staying here, room 207, I think it was, and he told me to come let him know I got into town. Is it alright if I just go on up? He already knows I'm coming."

"Oh, of course. Yes, here he is, room 207. Have a pleasant visit and I hope you enjoy the festival. Dinner will be ready soon if you'd like to stick around."

Link thanked her and said that perhaps he would. It was still fairly early in the evening so many people sat down in the common room. Many of them looked to be the performers who kept the tourists entertained during the festival, but Dark was nowhere to be seen. Trotting upstairs, Link headed down the hall to room 207 and rapped three times on the hard wooden door and a familiar voice called from within.

"What is it?"

Dark was busy laying in bed and reading what was turning out to be a fascinating book by the light of a single candle. The culture and history of this country Termina had Dark intrigued. He was just getting to the intricacies of their religion when a sudden knock on the door broke his concentration.

"Oh honestly, who is it this time?" he muttered before yelling at whoever it was to come it so he could get them to leave again. Or so he thought, but standing in his doorway was the last person he expected to see. Clad in his tradition forest green tunic and shorts, Link stood in the doorway, staring.

"Link…" As soon as the shock wore off Dark snapped his book shut, jumped of the bed and let off a surprised yelp as his partner barreled into him, knocking them both back onto the bed. For a long time they just lay there holding each other, glad to be reunited. "I don't understand, how did you find me?" Dark finally asked and Link sat up to give him a flat stare.

"With difficulty. It has been a hellish nightmare so far but that is not important at the moment."

Not important? Dark almost smiled. They finally get back together and of course Link has to go pulling this crap again. "Like hell it doesn't. Why do you always gotta be the macho loner an-"

Dark's sentence cut off abruptly as Link grabbed his shoulders and pinned the boy to the bed. "I am not being a loner. I'm giving you a gift…"

"A gi-ah! Damn…" Again Dark cut off as Link reached down between his legs and grabbed him through the thick fabric of his black shorts.

"Happy birthday ,Dark," Link whispered, sliding a hand up the boy's tunic. Dark shivered under the feel of those warm calloused hands tracing over his chest and as much as he wanted to give in, this wasn't like his partner at all.

_Damn it…be a good person Dark._

Gazing up through lidded eyes at the blond straddling his waist and pushing his tunic up, Dark couldn't help but wonder what was going on. He caught a glimpse in those eyes; a fierce, possessive predatory gaze. Everything Link generally wasn't. It both worried him and left him extremely turned on.

"Nnhh. Link, stop for a minute.. Goddesses, I never thought I'd hear myself say that. I just wanna know what's going on first. You're not acting like yourself and I'm...worried."

For a long moment Link stared down into the crimson eyes beneath him before sighing and shutting his own eyes. "Twice now Dark. Twice you have vanished without a trace while laying right beside me. If you are not even safe in my arms…I was lucky to find you again and I don't want you to disappear again and spend the rest of your life remembering me as a coward."

Though he kept head tilted down so the fall of blond hair shielded his eyes, Link's hands roamed slowly up the pale expanse of Dark's chest, pushing the black shirt up to his shoulders to peel off and drop to the floor. While he couldn't see the blonde's eyes, Dark kept his eyes on Link's face and much to his horror felt his cheeks growing hot, "L-Link…are you seriously gonna…?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?" Dark felt his jaw drop. Link, his shy embarrassed Link was _teasing him_? And worse, Dark's body betrayed him by blushing.

"Mmm… Cute. It shows up nicely with your skin tone." Link teased, sliding backwards to make a trail down Dark's chest and stomach, alternating between kisses and light nips of his teeth. Biting his lip, Dark reached up to run his fingers through the blond tresses; each kiss and bite rewarded with a soft gasp or a moan of need.

The blood pulsed through Dark's body, making him hot and feverish and making his shorts feel far too tight. _C'mon Dark, pull yourself together!_ Sitting up he reached forward, fumbling a little to get Link's belt off to remove the boy's dark green shirt but that was all he could do. As Link approached his waist, Dark could only sit back and watch, waiting…

Finally Dark felt his tight black shorts sliding off his hips, baring everything he had to offer to the cool evening air flowing in through his open window. Shivering slightly, it took a minute for him to realize that nothing was happening. For some reason, Link was just sitting there staring at him, and it made the shadow blush even further when he realized that the Kokiri wasn't staring out of hesitation. The way Link was slowly licking his lips had Dark shivering in anticipation. And then, that same tongue licked gently across him, coaxing Dark's length into hot wet bliss.

As warmth surrounded his hardened flesh, Dark's fingers in Link's hair gripped firmly at his strands. It took all his power from pushing down on the back of the blond's head, but his hips rose against his will and pressed the length of his flesh against Link's throat. A whine escaped his lips as the warmth spread across his body, sending jolts of pleasure through his gut which began to build at the center of his body. _Damn, where did he learn to do this?_

Squirming around a little, Link pushed his own shorts off after hearing the moans of pleasure his tongue could awaken. Of course, he still had the bottle of olive oil, hidden from Dark's gaze in the curve of his body. Link spread the slick coating along his hard length. Coated, he set the bottle on the floor and spread Dark's legs apart, sliding one finger into the pale boy beneath him.

Dark grit his teeth, swearing lightly to himself. It didn't hurt too badly but as his muscles loosened he sighed, knowing there was no turning back now. Another finger joined the first, scissoring apart to push against the tight ring of muscle that would…

_Damn… I'm gonna have to take all that? Shit, well I guess I did ask for it… a lot…_

The next thing he knew, Link was staring into his eyes with no hesitation. Only waiting for confirmation. Smirking lightly, Dark nodded once, leaning back and relaxing as much as he could. It still didn't preparing him for what came next.

Like most things in their relationship, words were never needed. Link figured that the oil and the precum forming at his tip gave him enough lubricant, so he eased his hips forward which moved the tip of his flesh between Dark's cheeks, and against his awaiting entrance. He teased him with a few short motions of his hips before suddenly pressing forward, driving half his length into Dark's body.

Dark hissed, lunging up to wrap his arms around his lover's neck to give him something to hold onto through the hot, demanding presence invading his body. In spite of all the preparation, it still hurt.

Link leaned forward over Dark, not pulling away until a few seconds after initially entering him. Then, his hips slowly pulled away from his until just the head of his cock was left inside of Dark's warmth, only to be rammed into his body with the remainder of his flesh. Link moaned roughly, unable to hide his blatant arousal and need to fuck Dark with every part of his being.

But Link didn't want to stop there. With one hand holding Dark's ass in the air, the other took Dark's hardened shaft within his palm and began to jerk it. At first it was soft and slow motions that ran the entire length of his shaft, but as his bucking grew more violent and thorough, so did the jerking of his hand..

The sudden force left the boy moaning loudly, completely surrendered to Link, almost mirroring his state with a need to _be _fucked with every part of his being. Tensing his muscles, he tightened around the length of flesh impaling his body, rocking his hips to make it that much harder. Already having been hard, under Link's attention Dark's erection twitches in his hand, drops of milky white precum dripping down his fingers

The blond watched in lust as it dripped down the side of his hand and he wiped the slickness up and down the sides of Dark's length. He grinned; it had made Link's hand able to move that much faster as he matched the pace of his pounding hips.

His hard flesh continuously slid into the tight muscles of Dark's body, relentlessly pushing apart the tight constrictions in order to accommodate the growing width of his erection. It got to the point that the base of Link's cock began to slap repeatedly against Dark's ass, and as their skin collided, Link's passionate moan signaled the closeness of his climax.

But it would not be just yet; instead he wanted to jerk off Dark until he had released his own.

Dark threw his head back, panting and moaning as the familiar feeling of tension built in the pit of his stomach. The sudden increase in speed left him gasping for air as pleasure flooded his body, rapidly approaching its limit. The line thinned down until it snapped, sending torrents of delicious white heat shooting out of him leaving a trail of thick white fluid clear up to his midnight black hair.

Link smiled down at him, marveling at the beauty of Dark's form covered with small lines of his cum. But his hand didn't stop there and he planned to continue jerking Dark off until his own climax passed, which would be soon.

The sudden throbbing of his cock warned his body that his resistance was falling, and already precum coated Dark's inner walls. But it just allowed for a more lubricated surface as Link's cock continued to slip in and out, dragging its rigid shaft against the rings of muscles that moved through his ass.

Suddenly, his muscles began to tense and there was no holding back the explosion of lust that followed. He pressed forward, driving his length as far into Dark's body as it would allow before streams of his warm seed flooded into Dark, coating its walls as well as Shadow's own shaft as his body jerked and spasmed in release.

Dark almost dropped back, having just survived the aftermath of his own climax but that unmistakable tension of another one had his eyes slowly widening. Lurching forward, he wrapped his arms around Link's neck tightly, sharing some of the mass torrents of his own cum still decorating his body. He arched his back into Link's embrace and let out a loud yell as his inner muscles tensed around Link's cock, milking for all he was worth.

The two boys collapsed, sweaty and naked and covered in the results of their release; Link quiet and thoughtful while Dark laid back laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" Link asked curiously

"This…this isn't how it was supposed to go. I never thought you'd be the one to top. It's just…so ironic. But next time, I'm taking you hard."

"You plan on topping? Not likely." Link snorted but didn't get to say anymore when a knock at the door interrupted with Anju's voice on the other end. "Come in."

"Mr. Dark, Dinner is-oh!"

Anju stood in the doorway, beet red with her hands over her mouth as she beheld the two boys sweaty and obviously shirtless, though the blanket prevented her from seeing anything more. Dark nodded.

"Thanks Anju. Oh, any chance of a bath? I'd really appreciate it."

"Y-yes…I'll just go…ready a bath…now…" Her nerve breaking, Anju ran blushing from the room to fulfill the order. A few moments later she sidled back into the room to set some towels down, blushing and stammering profusely and escaping as soon as possible.

Chuckling, Dark yawned and stretched, hopping out of bed to toss Link one of the fluffy towels left by their innkeeper. "I think I need a bath. You wanna come?"

Much as he would normally decline such a request, but after having spent so much time and stress, Link wasn't about to let his partner out of his sight again lest he vanish once more. Sighing, he caught the towel, wrapped himself and followed Dark downstairs to the end of the hall where a side room held a large in ground tub of steaming water.

Grinning childishly, Dark dropped his towel and jumped into the water with Link following a little more sedately, slipping gingerly into the heat, letting it saturate his tired body and stiff muscles.

"Ahh, it feels so good to relax. Too bad; I will need to be out soon. Anju said that dinner would be ready soon and I have barely eaten since last week."

In spite of his statement, though, Link laid his head back and shut his eyes. Dark on the other hand, hurriedly soaped himself up and quickly scrubbed away the evidence of his little tussle with Link. Dunking his head under water, Dark briskly scrubbed his hair out then paused, grabbed Link and yanked the boy underwater as well, letting him come up sputtering a second later. "What are you doing!"

"Washing your hair for you. You said you didn't want to be late for dinner so hold still!" Dark shot back, moving around behind the squirming blond to rub a bar of soap through his hair. Link found himself blushing with how close Dark was behind him.

"Y-You're still not topping next ti-"

"Time to rinse, get all that soap off…" Dark interjected, cheerfully dunking his partner underwater once more.

"Dark, What was that f-"

"And another dunk for good measure." Sadly, the shadow's victory was short-lived as Link popped back up and returned the favor. From there, the bath degenerated into the two teens laughing and having a splashing contest.

After getting out and drying off, Link returned to Dark's room. He sat cross legged on the cool wooden boards with his shirt still off and a towel draped over his shoulders to catch the water dripping off his hair. Dark came back a moment later to hand his partner a bowl of soggy, overcooked beef stew. "Careful. Anju's a nice lady but she can't cook to save her…life…huh."

In spite of the correct warning about the innkeeper's lack of culinary talent, Link was shoveling it down. "I have not eaten much all week and I am very hungry," he muttered defensively.

"I see this." Dark grinned, sitting on the bed behind Link, gently running a comb through the damp mass of hair. "Well, I haven't been just sitting around on my ass all day. Ok, so I have, but I was working and I found out a bunch of interesting stuff."

"We can discuss it tomorrow. The end of the world isn't for two more days." Setting the empty bowl aside, Link blew out the candle, climbed into bed and pulled Dark close. The dark void in his chest was slowly filling over again. "Dark?"

"Hmm?"

"Love you."

"Love you too."


	3. A New Adventure

_**AN: I'm so sory his took so long to get up! Ugh, i feel terrible about making everyone wait MM is just a mess to try and deal with as far as the plot order. Just a note, if anyone reading this hasn't been through TOHOAH, i highly suggest they read it. I have plans; very very big plans for which the first story comes into play. And that is all i will say for now. Enjoy =)**_

A New Adventure

The next day dawned dark and gloomy, with a light drizzling rain that soaked the clothes of anyone standing outside. Still, it was early enough in the season that the rain was warm enough not to be uncomfortable. The workmen putting the scaffolding together for the festival tower grumbled irritably about having to work in such conditions but the tower needed to be finished. A lonely boy waited in a dark room somewhere, and a pair of twin dancers lamented their sad predicament.

In room 207 of the Stock Pot Inn, none of this made the slightest bit of difference for the two snoozing occupants. Actually, only Dark was sleeping. Link lay only inches away with an oddly tender expression on his face; an unusual feeling for the battle-hardened warriors.

"Dark. Get up," Link murmured, shaking the boy's shoulder. He was met with a groan as Dark flipped onto his stomach, mumbling something into his pillow. Frowning, Link cleared his throat and tried again. "Hey! Listen!"

"Gah! I'm up, I'm up! Damn it all Link, don't do that! I told you I had this nightmare about a fairy following me around and that's all she kept screaming the entire time!" Dark cowered under the blanket, leaving only his crimson eyes showing, darting around the room looking for a fairy stalker. Link just chuckled and patted Dark's head.

"Stay here, I will be right back." With that, Link stood up, slipped on his shorts and tunic then headed out the door, coming back a few minutes later with two plates of food, "Scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and potatoes." Of course he noticed the grimace on his partner's face, though he didn't understand Dark's reluctance to eat Anju's cooking…

Figuring it would be a shorter story, Link related the story of his travels, such as they were, to find get to Termina and find Dark. Throughout the story, the black swordsman was quiet. In spite of his rambunctious attitude, he was actually capable of sitting still if the story was good. "So, that is everything I have done. What happened to you?"

Dark shrugged, trying to find words to explain it. "I dunno. One night I was laying in Hyrule castle and when I woke up, I was on the roof of the Spirit Tracks Inn. That one was booked though so I came here. I had no idea how I got here and no idea how to leave so I stuck around and got a job."

A job? Curious. Immediately Link started thinking up what Dark could possibly do as an occupation. Probably something combat oriented, perhaps a guard? No, someone of Dark's capabilities wouldn't want to be held back by rank. Perhaps a mercenary…

"So yeah, I'm working at this bookstore and they've got all kinds of interesting things about this place we're in. It's called Termina and according to the l-"

"You work in a bookstore?"

Dark sighed, absently running a hand through his hair. "Yeah. I work in a bookstore. As I was sayi-"

"But why a bookstore? I thought you would be a mercenary or a bounty hunter or something equally action packed."

"They offered dental insurance," came the bland reply.

"At a bookstore?"

"I was just as surprised as you. Anyways, shut up and let me finish. When you showed up yesterday I was reading 'A History of Termina.' They center around the four directions on a compass and worship these guardian giants as their gods. "

"So they're pagan…" The look on his face more than broadcast Link's disapproval. After all, he'd personally met the Three Golden Goddesses; he knew they were real.

Dark however seemed much less worried by the idea. "I guess. Does it matter? We're stuck here either way, and as long as we are, might as well enjoy the festival." In actuality, Dark hadn't bothered getting an outside job because he knew the blond would come for him. He'd been hoping for the chance to share the festival with his boyfriend but Link was having none of it.

"No Dark. We are leaving. The moon is going to fall out of the sky tomorrow and demolish the town. I would prefer to be as far away from here as possible by then."

Link's shadow sat back silently for a moment, contemplating this. After hearing Link's story about how the Goddess Nayru had turned back time, he knew it was true. "Link…I believe you, hell, just a look up in the sky says its entirely possible but… can't we do anything to stop it? All those people will be killed if we don't do something."

The solemn reminder hit the Kokiri like a punch in the face. Biting his lip, he hugged his knees to his chest, trying to think. "I don't know. This isn't like last time. I don't…know what they want me to do. What if the Goddesses get angry at me for trying to…save…them?"

The room spun and the last thing Link saw before blacking out was Dark's worried face hovering over him.

When he opened his eyes, at first Link thought he'd gone blind. Then he looked down and saw his legs and torso. He wasn't blind, just sitting on black and surrounded by black with black stretching off into the distance. A sudden brilliant flash of light in the darkness forced Link to shield his eyes and when the light died down, the Three Golden Goddesses stood before him once more.

"_**Welcome, Hero. We have brought you here to explain the choice that has come upon you."**_

Groaning, Link sat up and nodded slowly. As much of an honor as it was to be in their presence again, the voice of a Goddess ringing through his entire body was a slightly painful experience. Ever word shook the boy to his very bones but he grit his teeth and tried to ignore it. "I assume you refer to Termina? What exactly is going on over there? Are you destroying the unbelievers?"

"_**That land was already fated to perish, but it is not an act of our hand. Unbelievers though they may be, a lost tribe of people who have scorned us, we nonetheless offer them a chance of salvation once more."**_

Stepping ahead of her two sisters, the glittering garnet-eyed form of the Golden Goddess Din explained. "_**We warned you that we would give you as much time with your shadow as we could, however, he had to be separated along with the rest. When you were drawn into the Sacred Realm to mature into an adult, time split off into two distinct paths; the path in which Ganon existed, and the path in which he did not."**_

"_**We could not allow the balance of nature to support two possible futures, yet it would be unfair to simply wipe from existence those who lived in the world you saved. And so, we created Termina to house the consciousnesses of those people who were once of the Hyrule of your adult life. That is why there are so many people whom you recognize. Dark Link was also a member of that world, and could not be left aside. The Law must be upheld by all."**_

This was going in a much different direction than expected. Taking a deep breath, Link asked, "So then, you wish for me to save this world? What am I saving it from, the moon? Skull Kid? Is Ganon out there waiting for me?"

"_**Termina is the embodiment of the world from which he was banished. The Evil King is still bound and cannot touch it. The one you call Skull Kid is merely a pawn and the moon is merely a tool for a higher mastermind. When the moon falls, it will destroy not only Clock Town, but the entire world of Termina."**_

"_**If you flee, you flee alone, abandoning your partner to a fate of certain destruction. Succeed, and you shall never be parted again."**_

This time it was the dark blue sapphires glinting at him to show that Nayru was speaking. _**"You must travel to the four temples and awaken the guardians sleeping there. If you have need of more time, play my song and I shall carry you back to the moment of your arrival in Clock Town. You may keep any information you learn as well as important items but all else shall be as it was."**_

"W-wait, you said there was another mastermind. Who is it? Who am I supposed to be facing?"

The question was barely out when all three of the Golden Goddesses yelled the answer simultaneously, a heavy gust of air knocking Link back on his butt.

"_**MAJORA! Now awaken Hero, there is much work to do if you would survive to face Majora's Wrath."**_

The infinite blackness of the Realm of the Gods faded away into a more normal black tinged with the color of his flesh. Link sat up, rubbing his throbbing head with a groan. "What…happened?"

Dark sighed his relief and went over to dig through one of his drawers. "You were talking, then suddenly your eyes rolled up and you passed out. Scared the hell outta me. Good thing I thought to be prepared. I figured you'd come looking for me so I started stock piling. Here."

Sitting in Dark's outstretched hands sat a large clear blue and red Heart Piece. Somehow, Dark had a penchant for finding them; Link stopped trying to figure out how years ago. All he knew was that his boyfriend had a special knack for locating Link's absolute favorite kind of candy. Just then, with the ache pounding in his head, a Heart Piece was exactly what he'd been looking for. Of course, since the headache wasn't a life threatening situation, he had the leeway to eat it slowly and enjoy the sweet and sour flavor in addition to the strength flooding his limbs. It wasn't nearly enough to get him to pre-Ganon condition but it made Link feel a little like his old self again.

"Well…the Goddesses have spoken. We are going to save Termina from the falling moon."

Dark had no problems with that. He just considered the proportions of the task they were about to undertake and responded with a simple, "Ok. Where do we start?"

Where indeed? Link snapped off a corner of the heart in his teeth, letting it melt in his mouth as he thought about it. "The Goddesses said that there are four temples housing guardian spirits that need to be awakened. Nayru will rewind time again as long as I have need of it and in the end, we will be facing someone named Majora."

The Kokiri fell silent again, thinking back. The Happy Mask Salesman said that the Skull Kid was wearing Majora's Mask…that right there was the best lead. So, first they needed a strategy to gather information about the nature of the temples, possibly their locations, then-

"C'mon Link. We're going out celebrating."

Dark's sudden declaration had the other boy completely off guard. Just a quick dig through the desk drawer to get his wallet and Dark grabbed Link and hauled him out of the room.

Dark ran right outside into the rain, staring up into the sky with his eyes closed, just letting the water wash over him with a light carefree laugh, but his partner waited dubiously beneath the Stock Pot's overhang, reluctant to get wet.

"Aww, C'mon Link, I've got something for you. Not gonna get it cause you're scared of getting wet? You a coward?"

That did it. Clenching a fist, Link ran out into the rain, determined to give Dark a few good bruises. He knew he was susceptible to it, but for some reason no matter how determined Link was to stand his ground, the "C" word got him running every single time.

No matter how fast he ran, Dark's lighter frame was always just a few steps ahead and soon Link forgot about both the rain and the bruises. Running with Dark through the cobble stoned streets of Clock Town was, admittedly, kind of fun.

They came to a stop in the nicer section at the northern end of West Clock Town. "Hey here it is!" Dark exclaimed and hauled Link inside before he had a chance to read the sign for what the store actually sold. "Here he is! You ready big guy?" Dark called, tossing the man waiting behind the counter his entire wallet, "So let's get to it!"

"Dark, what are you-"

"Just, trust me, it'll be fine. Now, close your eyes and hold still."

"But I-aaagh! Dark, wha-ah…!" A sudden burning pain biting into his ear killed his train of thought as he focused on holding still.

"Alright, you can look now."

When Link opened his eyes, he was met with his own bright blue eyes and a matching blue ring hanging from his right ear. "Dark. You got me an earring?" Link looked over just in time to see the red-hot needle pierce through the soft flesh of Dark's earlobe and wince.

Opposite of Link, Dark had his left ear pierced with a ring of deep red to contrast his partner. He thanked the jeweler again and they left the building. Link held his tongue until they were outside to start his tirade. He wasn't about to start yelling at his partner in front of someone else, but out in the rain, no one else was around.

"What was that?" Link half yelled, half hissed.

"Your birthday present. Happy birthday Link." Dark's calm response completely knocked aside the entire irate rant.

"Uhm, Thanks, you too…now why are you giving me a painful present like stabbing a needle through my ear?"

Dark blinked several times in disbelief, "Excuse me? Do I need to remind you what _your_ present was? It was the most amazing thing ever but damn, feels like your horse kicked me in the stomach. I'm seriously surprised I could walk today."

Link cuffed his partner playfully, "You compare me to a horse?"

"Well you're certainly hung like one," Dark muttered before dashing off through the streets with an embarrassed Kokiri hot on his heels.

In spite of the rain, many people stayed out to enjoy the festivities, and those that didn't had plenty of opportunity to celebrate from the safety of indoors. Link and Dark frequented several shops for games including an apple bobbing booth, though that was more from Dark forcing his partner to lighten up and have a good time rather then the blond volunteering any of his precious time to such trivial matters. He, or both of them rather, had work to do and while researching in the rain wasn't the easiest thing to do, Link was more than practiced at sacrificing his own personal wants for the greater good. After all, he was the Hero of Time and now once again a land in peril needed his dire assistance and he'd travel to the ends of the earth to slay vicious monsters, pushing himself to the point of exhaustion if that was what it took…

But Dark was having none of that.

So, rather than gallivanting off to make a raid on whatever ancient temple it was that required his attention, Link was forced to show off his archery prowess at a target shooting game.

"Honey and Darling's Shop" had a wooden platform that rose and fell, spinning on a tide of water that filled the room. The wooden disc floated and bobbed with the current of the water but still, Link never missed a shot and walked out several minutes later with a purple Rupee.

Around dinner time they strolled back through the damp streets towards the Stock Pot Inn where the common room sat full of hungry circus performers who'd been working or practicing all day and Anju had her hands full trying to get everyone fed. Apparently, the Stock Pot Inn was short-staffed for the day. "Come on Link, let's help out," Dark suggested.

"Yes, I was just about to say that." Having decided on the path of the good Samaritan, Link and Dark helped the innkeeper ferry plates of fresh, home-cooked food back and forth from the kitchen to the customers. With two pairs of hands, Anju was left free to prepare the plates, making the whole affair flow smoothly.

Once they finished with the paying customers, Anju wiped her hands on the white apron hanging from her waist and prepared one last tray of food. "Thank you both so much. I just need to take this one to my grandmother and I'll be done."

"Well why don't you let us do it? You look like you could use a break," Dark offered and indeed, the inn keeper was looking a little on the pale side.

"Oh…yes, thank you. Last door on the left…"

While Dark followed though on his suggestion, Link couldn't help but wonder, did he notice? The distant, almost lost expression on the brunette woman's face wasn't one of tiredness after a long day of serving customers. She looked almost…lost.

It was certainly a worthwhile question; one could never tell with Dark. He was either extremely perceptive or extraordinarily dense and it was impossible to tell beforehand which would be the case. Or during, for that matter. Dark's bubbly enthusiasm made an excellent cover to keep things hidden. Link would have to ask later. At the moment, the boy was too busy balancing tray with soup with one hand and trying to carry a second tray for a fragile teapot and white china cups.

Moving in to prevent what would have been a future mishap of broken china cups, Link stepped in to lighten his partner's load and they each carried a tray down the hall to knock at the door Anju had specified. A raspy old voice from within beckoned them inside.

The room, like every other room housing an old person that dark had ever seen, the air was thick, smoky and it smelled funny. Though Link had the decency not to let acknowledge it, Dark was not so tactful, wrinkling his nose as he set the tray of tea down next to a shriveled woman, older then he could have imagined.

"Ooh, Tortus, did you finish helping Father? Then let mother read you a story."

Link glanced at his partner and jerked his head towards the door as if to tell him to get out of there but Dark sat down cross legged and said, "Could you tell us the story of the Four Giants?"

In the back, Link slapped a palm to his forehead. Now they were stuck here listening to the senile ramblings of an old lady.

"The Four Giants, is it? This is a long story but it's good for you to hear so I'll read it with extra gusto. Ahem…"

_Long ago, before the people were divided up into the four worlds we have now, the giants lived among us. On the day of the great festival to celebrate the harvest, the giants spoke to the people, saying, "We have chosen to guard the lands while we sleep. If you should have need of us, cry out in a loud voice our prayer and your cries will be carried to us._

_100 steps North_

_100 steps South_

_100 steps East_

_100 steps West_

_But there was one who was shocked and saddened by all this. A little imp. He felt that his friends, the giants who live in the four cardinal directions had abandoned him, and his anger spread across the four worlds…_

Anju's grandmother spoke long into the night and the next morning, the day of the festival. Link suddenly snapped back into wakefulness in time to hear the very ending of the story.

… _and so order was restored and the Four Giants were worshipped as the gods and saviors of our people._

"Now, lets see how well you were paying attention. What did the people need to do to call the giants?"

Link scrambled through his memory, trying to come up with the answer but he'd just been too tired to think straight. Dark on the other hand, who'd stayed awake all night listening intently to the story knew the answer right away. "They had to call a special prayer from the top of the Clock Tower," he dutifully repeated, earning a satisfied chuckle from Grandma.

"Very good Tortus. Have a treat for being such a good boy," and the next moment he was holding yet another Heart Piece. Link surreptitiously took hold of the corner of the candy trying to slip it out of Dark's grasp but the boy wasn't letting go.

"Thanks Ma, we're going out to the festival. We'll come see you later." Dark stood up, clutching the Heart Piece to his chest with one arm and giving a short farewell wave with the other before running out the door with Link right behind him.

Outside, the sky had cleared and the slight chill in the air with the soft ever present dawn light put the time at early morning. Once they were out in fresh air, Dark spun around to tuck the crystalline candy inside his tunic pocket. "You fell asleep," he teased and Link huffed. "Just look, what'd I tell ya? You gotta take better care of yourself. Good breakfast, good nights sleep and you're still exhausted!"

Link flushed, shuffling his feet in place, "I am too busy to waste time on such things when-"

"I know where we're going. Do you? Grandma said so in her story. I was up and listening but apparently drooling on my tunic was more important to you." Along with his teasing, Dark started strolling leisurely towards South Clock Town.

"Yes Dark, I know. You never fail to remind me of this. Now, you have a Heart Piece…"

Pretending to just realize this fact, Dark patted his pocket and smiled. "Why so I do. What about it?"

"Are you going to give it to me?"

Dark snickered, planting a hand on a hip. "Maybe, once you use those manners I've heard you swear I don't have. Really, you can't expect me to grow up to be a civil adult when you're such a bad influence like this."

Again he'd been outmaneuvered. Link ground his teeth in frustration knowing that Dark was completely right. Somehow, the shadow was a master at doing things like that; namely, making Link look like a hypocrite at best and an apathetic slob at worst.

It was quite irritating for Link to be portraying himself in such a way when he normally took such care to keep up an impeccable appearance and how Dark took next to no effort to bring that façade crumbling to the ground.

Still, infuriating as it was, there was candy at stake and it was for the sake of that candy that Link swallowed his pride, "Alright Dark, I apologize for my lack of manners. May I have that Heart Piece please?"

Smug in his victory, Dark tossed the candy into the air and let Link jump forward to catch it. With his favorite candy in hand, Link had something to keep himself occupied and was more than willing to stay back and watch Dark march on up to the guard blocking the south exit of the city. Beneath the helmets and light chain mail, it was impossible to distinguish between guards. "Halt. I can't allow kids like yourselves to leave the city. It's dangerous out there so go back to your parents."

"Oh, kids are we? Tell you what Mr. Guard. Let's make a little wager. We'll have a fight and the bet is you won't last more than ten seconds against me. If you win, I'll give you fifty rupees. Link, show the man the money." Several steps behind, Link held up a shining amethyst rupee. "If I win, you let us leave."

The offer seemed innocent enough but Link couldn't help but groan at how grossly unfair this little contest was. It was necessary so he didn't complain but still…

Unaware of the danger lurking just in front of him the guard stepped up to 'put the cocky brat in his place.'

"Begin."

The guard stepped up to swing his spear and three seconds later he was staring up at the clouds, dazed with no idea what had just happened.

"Well, he's out of the way. C'mon Link. To the Southern Swamp!," and with the only line of resistance neutralized, Link and Dark simply strolled out the gates and into the fields beyond, their new adventure under way.


	4. Old Enemies

**_AN: Hello my dears. It's been a long time. How have you been? I've been really busy. There was people dying and my furnace went out, got a new car etc. Not that any of that explains or excuses my horrible negligence. I really have felt horrible for how long I've made everyone wait but... The important thing is I'm back, and there's nothing to stop us from testing for the rest of my life. (I hope someone gets this reference) I also hope that all my wonderful readers are still out there and waiting for me. You guys make it worthwhile. Let me know what you think. Hope I haven't lost my touch._**

Wandering though the wide empty fields, Link was struck with a sudden, immense sense of nostalgia. This was just like how it'd been at first. Perhaps the years spent as the messenger for the Royal Family had spoiled the Hero with fancy things like a regular paycheck and a castle to sleep in. It took him away from the environment that made him into a true Hero; the days when he needed nothing but the blade on his back and the partner walking at his side.

A pang of sadness hit him in the gut when he remembered that he'd also had a horse. But Epona was… No, he wouldn't think about that. Unable to deal with it at the moment, Link locked the pain away in his chest to settle when he had time to grieve.

Still early in the morning, it wasn't too hot but the sun was up enough for the Hero to judge his direction and keep their path more or less straight towards the south.

"Just like the good old days huh?" Dark asked lightly, spinning in a quick circle to survey the terrain.

Long flowing fields of ankle-high grass stretched far off into the distance towards some high cliffs that circled around as far as the eye could see.

Clock Town was situated at the crest of a hill so the walking was downhill. A large hollowed-out log, big enough for the boys to walk through and still have plenty of space overhead, sat out in the middle of nowhere. The undisturbed dirt by the base as well as the moss growing in the dark insides attested that the log had been in the same spot for quite some time. It made Link wonder just where it had come from, though. There was no tree stump anywhere from where such a large log could have come.

"Hey, are you even listening?" Dark's irritated mutter snapped Link back to the fact that he was being spoken to.

"Huh? I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

Indeed, the Hero's mind was floating off in the clouds and observing small meaningless details like the log in the field.

"The Goddesses said that this world is made for those people who lived in the world we saved, and that it was doomed to perish. It is… strange to see people like Anju and the postman but not be recognized," Link said to himself but Dark frowned.

"Yeah but wait a minute. The Goddesses _made_ this world _after_ we beat Ganon? How's that possible? Termina has hundreds of years of history. I picked up a history from the bookstore-"

"I still can't see you working in a bookstore," Link cut in and Dark rolled his eyes.

"Didn't we already have this conversation?" Dark cried, getting a little frustrated that his choice of employment was once again somehow the topic. He really didn't get why it was such a big deal. Selling books was in no way a disreputable job but Link just _wouldn't let it go_. Pausing for a moment to shoot a glare toward his partner and making sure Link didn't have anything else to say, Dark continued, "Before I was so _rudely_ interrupted, I've read about stuff that happened hundreds of years ago!"

Link frowned, considering possibilities as they walked the next few minutes in silence. "Well… The only thing I can think of is that this world has a faster flow of time than ours does," he answered slowly, shaking his head. Really, what difference did the technical details make? This was the reality they had to work with. "What else did you read?"

Pausing, Dark looked up into the sky, thinking back over the book's contents. "About the temples? Not much. There's four of them; one in each direction and a different race looks after each one. A lot of what the book had was just general information, nothing really specific."

Hearing that, Link resolved to read the book for himself. After all, as street smart as Dark could be and, indeed, he wasn't in any way stupid, he still wasn't the intellectual type and Link found it easy to see Dark missing some small detail that would end up being important in the end. That's the way these quests always worked. Little details mattered most.

As the duo continued their walk, the long stretches of knee-high grass gave way to a shorter and hardier variety, signaling a change in the soil as they got closer and closer to the cliffs that had seemed so distant earlier in the day though they hadn't been walking for all that long. With large things far away, it could sometimes be difficult to accurately judge distances, for it was just another ten minutes before they stood at the high cliffs themselves. A wide split ran through the rock with plenty of room for them to continue. Plenty of room between the two cliffs allowed enough sun to filter down onto the path that the carpet of grass continued on.

It wasn't too far down the path through the cliffs that the air suddenly changed. Despite the space, the cliffs were still high enough to channel a stream of air and the current running down the gorge carried with it the strong stench of mud and decaying plant life and… something else; something cloying and insidious that had both Link and Dark resting their hands on the hilts of their swords. Rounding a corner, two blobs of green jelly hopped towards the boys only to be dispatched with a single blow but the smell grew steadily stronger.

Leaving the motionless blobs of gel to move on around another corner, the swamp finally came into view. Reeds jutted out of the water all over the place and the large green lily pads that floated on the surface of the murky water provided the most vibrant color to be found amidst the wilting plants and rotting vegetation. Straight ahead, a small shack sat on a platform of woven reeds over a dock that jutted out into the stagnant water with a small boat moored there. From there, it wasn't too hard to find the source of the smell. A short distance off in the water sat a giant Octorok guarding a tunnel deeper into the swamp and around it, an unhealthy looking stain of dark purple water drafting around its body. Glancing around at the swamp, Dark walked up to look at the sign sitting in front of the building.

"Southern Swamp Boat Cruise Tour Guide. Inquire inside for details?" he read aloud, a little dubiously. "Tourism… Even in a disgusting place like this, you still have yahoos trying to make a quick buck off the chumps," Dark grumbled.

Link nodded, walking over to climb the ladder to the 'tourist office,' "Yes, but we need to get into that swamp and will pay for it if need be. So does that not make us chumps, too?"

Inside, a set of ropes and posts made a twisting pathway up to a main desk where a giant of a man with a great bushy beard and enough body hair poking out of his open shirt collar to possibly be mistaken for a bear sat with a small book in hand, wearing a pair of reading glasses of all things. A small sign hung over his head stating **'Pictograph Entries' **while a second on the other side of the desk hung over an enclosed booth marked, **'Boat Cruise Registration.'**

Dark looked at the long twisting path, then at a small sign hanging on the first post stating, **'Please wait in line.' **However, aside from Link, Dark and the giant, no one else was there. Shrugging, Dark went to crawl under the rope nearest to the end.

"Oye! Th' sign says get in line! No cuttin'!" The giant bellowed, slamming a fist on his desk.

Meanwhile, Link walked through the twisting path, back and forth, back and forth with Dark jogging along to catch up until they stood _legitimately_ at the head of the line and it was only then that the giant set his book down and removed his glasses. "Ello boys! You 'ere for the pictograph contest?" Pictograph? Link shook his head slowly.

"No sir, I don't know what that is. We're looking for someone who can tell us about the swamp."

The giant grumbled something under his breath and dropped a pamphlet on the table: **'Southern Swamp Boat Tour Extraviganza! Experience all the mystery and charm of the Southern Swamp. Enjoy the beautiful scenery and exotic wildlife while you relax on a luxurious boat ride. Currently, there is a contest with amazing prizes for who can take the best pictograph, capturing the true essence of the Southern Swamp! Inquire for more details at the Swamp Tourist Information Booth. Contest ends the day after the Festival, pictograph boxes available while supplies last.' **Glancing at the signs hanging from the ceiling, Link trotted over to the Boat Cruise Registration booth to be greeted by... _another_ sign. **'Out to lunch. Inquire at the Magic Hag's Potion Shop for details.'**

"Of course she isn't around! Why would she be? We're only trying to save the world, Goddess forbid they make _anything _convenient for us," Dark muttered irritably, turning to walk back towards the first desk only to be stopped once more.

"Oye! No back trackin' in line! Gotta go around again. No causin' a ruckus or I'll throw you out!" The hulking ogre of a receptionist glared at Dark who glared right back, right about to stomp over and (attempt to) beat the answers they needed out of the man. Seeing his partner's lack of discipline, Link grabbed Dark's shoulder and yanked him back, calmly walking between the ropes to the front of the line. "Excuse me sir. The booth has a sign saying to inquire at the Magic Hag's Potion Shop."

"Th' sign toldja what to do so follow th' bloody directions! Kids these days, I swear," the man grumbled but Link patiently waited for an opportunity to speak.

"Yes sir. Can you give me directions to the Potion Shop," he added, attempting to be helpful to the man who seemed to take everything in a very literal manner.

Almost instantly the man turned from gruff to jolly, letting out a low rumbling laugh and jerking a thumb over his right shoulder. "Course I can! That way, through the swamp. Course, you ain't touchin' my boat so it's a bit of a swim. Heh, too bad you wasn't Deku Scrubs or you could just hop over the water on the lily pads.

Thanking the man and heading towards the door and his black haired partner who waited anxiously the door, shifting back and forth on his feet and practically scurrying out the door as soon as Link started walking towards him.

"Ugh! What does that guy eat? Babies?" Dark asked as soon as they were safely outside, sliding down the ladder with Link following a little more sedately behind.

"No Dark, he does not eat babies…" Sighing at his partner's childish antics, he stared out across the water. Just as the Tourist Information Guide had said, there was no land at all in between dock of the Tourist Information Center and the small wooden sign across the water, presumably pointing the way to the Potion Shop. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the rough wooden Deku mask and slowly put it to his face. As soon as it touched his skin, the wood latched on, spreading down his body and replacing skin with dense wood. Link's eyes widened as he felt it taking over, invading his body like a virus; everywhere it touched burned until his entire body felt like it was on fire and just as he was about to scream it was over. There he stood in the less familiar body of his Deku Scrub form.

Dark blinked, letting out a low whistle. "Oh…kaaaay. So! Mr. Giant dude upstairs eats Deku Scrubs then."

Link just snorted and jumped out onto the water, skipping over the surface of the swamp to land on the nearest lily pad.

"H-hey! What about me!" Dark stared apprehensively at the murky water. As much as he loved swimming and water in general, having lived his life in the Water Temple, Dark couldn't help but imagine some nasty tentacled creature waiting to drag any unsuspecting intruders down to a watery grave or worse. Meanwhile, Deku Link just skipped his way across the large, leafy green lily pads to the far shore.

Glaring daggers at his partner, Dark pulled his boots off and chucked them across the mucky water to the solid ground on the other side. Of course he didn't bother complaining. Even back during their first quest together, Link had made a habit of taking the easy way out of situations while leaving Dark to take the long way. Slowly, with a grimace of disgust he hiked his shorts up and stepped into the water with his sword held over his head. For a split second he panicked as his leg kept going down. What if the ground was going to be deeper than he could stand in? But it wasn't. "Ugh… This is so gross," Dark grumbled, feeling the slimy mud of the swamp bottom squeezing up between his toes. Step by step he waded out into the swamp wearing a permanently disgusted look. With the smell of rotting vegetation almost overpowering everything else and the pond scum sticking to his bare flesh, Dark did his best to cross the divide as fast as reasonably possible without running the risk of slipping and taking a dunk in the slimy water.

Pushing past a clump of thin reeds, Dark hauled himself out of the water as Link removed the mask to return to his human form and help pull his partner out of the sludge. "Dark, don't move," Link ordered the black haired boy laying on his stomach. Several large, swollen black wormlike creatures wiggled around, attached to the boy's legs.

"What are those things! Get them off!," Dark looked down at the wriggling creatures with a expression of horror, fascination and panic. The knowledge that Link would probably know what to do conflicted with his instinctive desire to rip the things off.

Grabbing the swaying tail end of one of the creatures, Link carefully pushed his fingernail under its mouth to slowly peel the parasite off and toss it back in the swamp. "Calm down. They are only leeches," he explained quietly, peeling off another and tossing it back but ignoring the steady trails of blood trickling down Dark's legs from the puncture marks left behind.

"What are you doing throwing those… Things back?" Dark demanded, getting past his repulsion enough to be angry but Link just shook his head. He knew well that tone of voice. Right about now, Dark would be feeling the need to exact vengeance upon the poor creatures that thought they could get away with attacking him.

"What are you getting so upset about? Leeches drink blood. They're normal insects living in a swamp just how the Goddess Farore created them," Link explained and when Dark opened his mouth to argue he added, "What did you expect them to do? You did just go tromping through their home."

Dark's mouth dropped open as the last of the leeches dropped with an audible splash into the dark waters of the swamp. "But… but… I wanted to kill the fuckers!" Pouting that he was so cruelly robbed of his revenge, the shadow took his partner's hand to help get back on his feet and they kept walking.

As anticipated, the small wooden sign sitting over on this shore did indeed point the way to the Magic Hag's Potion Shop; through a natural stone corridor with a pair of faded red ceramic urns that let off columns of smoke so thick it almost looked like water pouring upwards into the sky. Dark passed it by without a second glance. "I feel… soiled and unusual," Dark grimaced, reaching down to wipe some blood off his leg but still it continued to trickle out of the leech wounds. Even though several minutes had passed, it hadn't slowed at all.

Since he'd dealt with them before from swimming in the woods as a kid, Link was familiar of the effects of leech bites. Normally, he'd wrap the bites with a thick cloth to stop the bleeding but seeing as how for once there was a conveniently placed potion shop to treat their injuries, it didn't seem practical. "Don't worry, Dark. I'm sure a potion will make you feel like yourself again."

As soon as he finished talking, the potion shop came into view. A large red teapot shaped building sat on a wooden platform some ten feet in the air. The shop itself sat located in a small, circular area with a waterfall on one wall pouring down to pool around the wooden platform before feeding out into the swamp. Taking a running leap over the small moat around the potion shop. Since the water flowing out of the Cliffside was clean and pure, there wasn't a threat of leeches, Link simply didn't want to get his boots wet.

The heroes climbed the ladder and opened the door only to come face to face with a blast from the past. There sat Kotake, one of the twin sorceress sisters that had inhabited the Spirit Temple. "You… but, we killed you," Link whispered.

_With an evil smile baring her small rotten teeth, Koume charged another beam of fire to sear the downed Hero before he could get up with her sister right behind, readying a spell of her own. Swearing under his breath, Dark jumped on top of Link, ripped the Mirror Shield out of his hand and held it up, hoping only to prevent his partner from getting roasted. Instead of igniting and covering the shield in thick globs of molten lava, the spell reflected right back as though it were no more then a ray of light. Kotake's shill yell of pain ripped the air as the fiery beam melted the forming ice spell right off the end of her broom stick and making the billowing frost from her hair shrink away from the intense heat._

Kotake cackled and gestured to the assortment of jars arrayed on the red velvet cloth in front of her. "My potions work very well, they do. I told you I'd come back to haunt you! Hahaha, just kidding my dear. I'm retired and don't worry, I won't hold it against you for killing me. So, what can I do for you boys?"

Link bit his lip, still in shock from talking to someone he'd killed. What if it was just a ploy to get him to lower his guard and she was really planning on turning the boys into a pair of ice sculptures? As overactive as his imagination could be, seeing Kotake sitting behind her desk and humming quietly under her breath and mixing the contents of different vials together to sniff the results wasn't particularly intimidating.

"Um… we were looking for information about the Swamp Cruise," he explained a little uncertainly.

Starting to get a little lightheaded, Dark put his leg up on the desk to show the trails of blood still running down his calves, " And I had a little run-in with some leeches. They won't stop bleeding. Can you do anything about it?"

"Oh. You want Koume then. She's in the woods out back picking mushrooms. Come to think of it, she's been gone a while."

Frowning, Kotake trotted out from behind her desk to examine the leech bites. "Mmm. Yes… Leeches produce an enzyme that prevents blood clotting. I'll get you all patched up, don't you worry deary." Heading into the back of the shop, the old witch started collecting an assortment of extra vials. "You, blondie, would you go find Koume out back and tell her lunch is almost finished? I'll take care of your friend here."

Link nodded slowly and slipped out the door. Truthfully, he was a little hesitant to leave his partner in the hands of a senile undead witch but at the end of the day she was still a frail old lady and if Dark couldn't handle an old woman… well… that would be a little depressing.

Back outside, Link quickly found the direction he was supposed to be going. It may have had something to do with the wooden sign sitting in front of a stone archway reading **'Woods of Mystery.'** Stepping into the woods, the Kokiri immediately felt right at home. Sure, these woods had palm trees and snapping turtles glaring at him from the corner of the first area but the _feel_ was the same. Having grown up in the Lost Woods, Link was a master of navigating, especially in forests. The smell of plants and the chirping of birds in the background had the boy smiling reminiscently. It was just like home only better because most of the kids back home hadn't liked him. At all. Just because he never had a fairy, Link had spent his childhood as an outcast. Not that he regretted it or anything. Fairies were annoying creatures, always shouting in people's ears at the worst moments. No, he didn't regret not having a fairy at all.

After a few short minutes of walking through the woods, he came across the form of Koume collapsed on the ground. "Ah! You… You're the one who… Oh never mind that. Do you have anything to help an old woman out," she wheezed, looking up at the boy through stray wisps of white hair.

"No, I don't. You were supposed to just be picking mushrooms, I wasn't expecting this," Link explained and the witch sighed, looking mildly irritated.

"Well I wasn't expecting to get attacked from behind. I was just minding my own business when BAM! Bah, you heroes aren't good for anything. You're supposed to be prepared! Where's your emergency potion," she yelled, shaking an accusatory finger.

"I'll run back and get one." Link then turned to sprint back through the woods. Kotake and Dark both looked up as Link burst through the door. "Koume is in trouble. I found her collapsed on the ground in the forest.

Sighing, Kotake finished tying a knot in the bandages around Dark's legs, "Oh dear, that isn't good. Probably her blood sugar. I told her she's at risk for diabetes but does she listen? No. I'm just the potion shop owner. Why would I know anything about nutrition?"

"Erm, actually she said she got attacked from behind," Link interjected before the old woman could rant any further. In truth, he found it amusing but there really wasn't time to waste.

Knitting her eyebrows together, the witch went back to her desk and started sniffing at her vials, "That isn't good, but at least it's more reversible than my sister's dietary problems. Mmm, this one smells about ready. Here. Take this potion to her, quickly. And don't you drink it all!"

Link rolled his eyes and accepted the glass bottle of red potion and ran out the door, sprinting back towards Koume as fast as he could. He reached the clearing with only a minor detour when one of the turtles tried to eat his food. The fire witch pushed herself up to grab the glass bottle dropped on the grass in front of her while Link rested his hands on his knees, panting. "Oh! This is Kotake's! I know this smell anywhere!"

Downing the bottle of health restoring potion, the witch's broomstick appeared in her hand and she drifted into the air on it. "Thanks kid. Meet back at the potion shop," she called down before speeding off, leaving the Kokiri to walk back on his own again.

Several minutes later he walked back into the potion shop, back against the door and slumped to the floor to catch his breath. "Oh, there you are. Your friend was just explaining this whole alternate reality concept. It's quite an ingenious idea," Koume said when Link entered.

"Yes, but Koume, does that mean we didn't actually die then? I don't really remember what happened after the fight so did it just end there?"

"Well, Dark said we had halos so I think we did die. I want to remember what heaven was like! Kotake, we're just going to have to meditate harder!"

"Wait, we went to heaven? See Koume? I told you volunteering at the Cuckoo Rescue Shelter was a good idea! I always figured saving up that many years of good deeds would pay off in the end!"

"Volunteering to save up good deeds and go to heaven? What are you talking about Kotake? I volunteered to qualify for the tax credit."

"What! There was a tax credit! Koume, you never told me about that! How many years, how many rupees did I miss out on!" Kotake suddenly started bawling, thinking of all the lost money.

"Snap out of it Kotake, you didn't miss anything because I always did your taxes for you!"

"What? Koume, are you sure? I'm pretty sure I-"

"Excuse me, ladies, sorry to interrupt but what about the boat tour? We need to find a way into the Swamp Temple because the world is ending when the moon falls on the night of the festival," Dark pointed out and a long silence followed.

The twin sorceress sisters exchanged a look of worry. "But… that's tonight."

Another long pause ensued as they realized that was exactly the point Dark was trying to make. "Well, if the world is ending, we might as well do our part to help out. Come on Kotake, we're going with!" Koume yelled, her broomstick magically appearing in a puff of smoke as she waddled outside and hopped on the flying broom. Kotake sighed and followed, shooing the boys out in front of her so she could lock the door and hang '**Closed'** sign on the front door.

"Hey Koume, if we die again, are we still going to heaven?" the ice witch asked curiously as they drifted over to the boat dock. Turning in midair, she saw Dark staring apprehensively at the water and the leeches waiting in it to sink their jaws into the tender flesh of his legs again. Much to his relief though, the boat from the tourist center broke away from its mooring at Koume's command. The red painted reed canoe drifted through the swamp seeming of its own accord to stop as close to the shore as was feasible. "I don't know Kotake, I don't remember dying the first time," the fire witch grumbled as Dark and Link hopped into the boat. "Alright, now the Temple at Woodfall is guarded by the Deku Royal Family. I don't know how we're going to get them to talk though, the Deku King is supposedly extremely stubborn.

Dark was just about to interject one of his typical badass comments he tended to throw off when it looked like there might be a fight but Kotake beat him to it," Koume, what are you doing? You have a presentation to follow about the wonders of the swamp. You should stick to the script," she chided.

Koume rolled her eyes, paying no attention to how the swamp water beneath the boat was turning a sickly purple or how a giant Octorok sat dead ahead guarding the tunnel. "Really? Kotake, the moon is going to fall and kill everyone in a few hours, do you really thing it will matter if I sell a few extra ornamental coffee mugs?"

"Coffee mugs!" Kotake cried in frustration, "They're kids! They don't drink coffee, you should be trying to sell the Deku Scrub T-shirts and Giant Octorok bandanas. See, this is why you could never run a business, you have no concept of what's 'hip.' It's because you're so much older than I am"

The fire witch's dark, wrinkled eyes narrowed to slits and she growled her exasperation. Down below, Dark sat down to brace himself for impact as the pointed front of the boat speared right through the octorok and kept right on going without losing any speed despite the giant dead animal hanging off the front. "Kotake, enough! I'm tired of hearing how I don't have an entrepreneurial spirit and for the last time, we're twins, I am NOT older than you!"

The boat pulled up to a dock near some festive red walls with white stripes and the two boys jumped off the boat. Through a small doorway in the wall, the whole Deku palace was visible, complete with two guards at the main entrance. "I'll take the front. Koume, Kotake, can you get Dark up to the roof? Alright? Then here's the plan…"

Out at the main entrance of the palace, the pair of Deku Scrubs on guard duty heard the rustling of an approaching visitor and popped out of their respective bushes. The two orange leafed scrubs were more than a little startled to see a mere child panting and heaving in front of them. "I…I… need to see the king. Emergency… Woodfall Temple," Deku Link choked out, stumbling towards the guards.

They looked uncertainly at each other. Orders were to keep outsiders away but a Deku Scrub talking about an emergency in Woodfall Temple… "Well… the King is in the middle of an execution right now but if it's that urgent… Go straight down the hall and see him," one of the guards said, a little hesitantly. Nodding, Link staggered past and ran straight into a wall with a startled squeak and flailing around on the ground. The guards jumped out of their flowers to see what was going on with the boy seizing on the floor as Koume and Kotake drifted off to the side walls with Dark hanging from their broomsticks. As soon as his parners in crime were past, Deku Link stood up with an exaggerated shiver.

"Sorry, thought _'they'_ had me again." With that, he was off, leaving the guards shaking their heads in confusion. As soon as they returned to their flowers, Link took a deep breath, waiting for several seconds for Dark to catch up. Once his heart rate had calmed down a little bit, he scampered into the throne room and there sat the Deku King.

If he'd had a jaw, Link's would have been out the ground. It was easily the largest Deku he'd ever seen. The King stood taller than Links adult human form and his giant autumn headdress alone was large enough to contain both Link's human and Deku forms simultaneously. "Eh? What's this?" the king asked, looking to the surrounding nobles to see if perhaps someone else knew. "Well, speak up boy, we have a monkey to boil."

A large iron cauldron, what he'd assumed to be just a decoration sat in the middle filled with boiling water and above it, a small white and brown monkey hung suspended from a rope. The rope hooked onto a winch in a small circular hole in the ceiling where the sky was visible.

"I'm sorry your majesty but it's an emergency! Woodfall Temple has been invaded!" he squeaked out with all the urgency he could put into his Deku voice. Bristling with anger, the king shot a glance at another Deku who appeared to be the butler, who then slipped out the door. High above, Dark was watching the exchange, saw the butler slip out of the room and set out to follow.

Jeeves the butler drifted down the hallway, hovering on a small umbrella he carried. Never did the butler notice the shadow stalking silently behind him. As he stood before the library door, the Deku butler glanced down the halls uneasily but no one was there. Unlocking the door, he entered the palace library, heading to the back shelves where a secret lever opened a compartment in the floor. Satisfied that the treasures were safe, the butler exited, locking up as he left. Once the butler was gone, Dark stepped out from behind the bookshelf and proceeded to pillage the secret stash now that he knew where it was.

Back in the throne room, the butler returned to inform the king that the secret was safe. '_Not for long," _Link thought but his victory was short lived. "Guards! Arrest that boy!" the King demanded, stomping furiously and waving his leafy staff around. Just seconds later Link was surrounded by at least thirty guards with spears pointed right at him and all he could do was grind his figurative teeth. It was just so frustrating knowing that at one point in time, he'd have been skilled enough to escape this mess. No longer though. Looking around at the ring of angry wooden bodies surrounding him, Link scrambled for some kind of plan when a savior appeared, only this time it wasn't Dark.

A beam of bright red energy shot down from the sky like judgment from above, turning the floor into a lake of bubbling lava. Koume drifted down from the hole in the ceiling with a satisfied cackle. Her stately bun of white hair was gone, replaced with crackling flames as a large group of the Deku Scrubs unfortunate enough to be caught in the blast immediately burst into flames, screaming high pitched shrieks of agony from the lava consuming their bodies. "Eheheheh. It's been a long time… since I've gotten to roast anyone. Cower before me for with my flames I'll burn you to the bone!" Koume cackled gleefully, charging another bolt of fire on the end of her broomstick. More and more guards flooded in to the room and Link slipped out in the confusion.

Back outside, Dark dropped to the ground with a book clutched under his arm right as Link was coming out. They'd completed their mission. The only problem was that the other side of the bridge that was the only exit was guarded by another battalion of Deku scrub soldiers and back inside the palace, the only thing holding the angry Deku's back was a moat of lava that was quickly cooling and hardening. The only other place to go would be the toxic purple water.

Link pulled off his mask and drew his sword, ready to fight his way through all of them when Kotake hovered over the palace walls. Like her sister, her hair had also burst into its icy elemental brilliance. Bringing her broomstick back she launched a condensed ray of frigid magic, completely icing over the entire swamp on the left side of the bridge. With a secondary route opened, Dark and Link took off running across the ice. Seeing the fugitives escaping, the furious Deku battalion scampered over the ice after them when a Koume appeared. Her beam of lava hit right in the middle of the pool, melting the ice almost instantly and leaving the Dekus in pursuit hopping on boiling water as Link and Dark escaped off into the swamp.

The path they'd taken lead up behind a waterfall and after a long walk through an overgrown path filled with weeds and choking ivy they arrived at a giant pool of the same venomous water that was polluting the entire swamp. It seemed to be pulsing out of the middle of the lake and filling the air with a cloying, sickly sweet stench and Link winced, imagining an underwater excursion when a shower of feathers and a familiar voice greeted him. The owl sage, Kaepora Gaebora landed on a tree trunk, cocking his head to the side.

"Welcome to Woodfall, Hero. We have some things to talk about."

**_AN: Ok, so, I have no where near the same knowledge of Majora's Mask as i do with Ocarina of Time. I'll need to replay the Swamp Temple so I can make something believable. I'll get started on it shortly and don't worry, it won't be nearly the wait._**


	5. The God of Woodfall

**_AN: Hello again everyone, I'm back with a new chapter. I have a few other projects i might post so if you get a notification tomorrow, don't get too excited. I've been struggling with my muse and life has had other things going on with it. I spent a week off on vacation with a very good friend of mine and he is just amazing. He gave me alot of help in getting my thoughts together. I now know exactly what I want to do and those of you who have played and beaten Majora's Mask are going to be surprised with what I have planned. Also, a special thanks to my new editor since my old one has fallen off the face of the map. I really have no idea where she is... One last thing. In case anyone was wondering, I'm a guy. Just throwing that out there. Read, enjoy and leave me reviews. I love my reviews and anyone who leaves them!_**

The flapping of wings and rain of tawny feathers heralded the arrival of Kaepora Gaebora and the swift departure of the twin witches who had assisted the infiltration of the Deku Palace. Apparently there were still some hard feelings between the Gerudo hags and the Owl Sage. The gust of air from his huge wings sent the toxic smog rising from the swamp swirling through the air. The purple wisps drifted lazily across the hard packed earth to twine around the boys ankles like spirits of the swamp searching for living prey. The great owl sage ignored the smog that moved slowly towards him also, cocking his head to the side to regard the boys with an unblinking stare. "Hero of Time, come. I will take you to the entrance to Woodfall temple."

Before Link could respond, the great owl gave three flaps of his wings to get airborne then flew forward to take the Hero in his talons. The Kokiri bit his lip against the stab of pain from the sharp talons biting into his shoulders but a yelp broke its way free when Kaepora Gaebora took off, suddenly putting Link's entire body weight on those sharp claws. His sudden abduction took him across the swamp and right over the roiling vortex of noxious miasma that lurked right at the center of the area. Remembering the direction they were flying, Link couldn't help the stab of paranoia as his overactive imagination kicked into gear once more. What if this wasn't Kaepora Gaebora? What if it was some agent of evil that looked like the owl sage in order to lull the Hero into a false sense of security so he could be dropped into the maelstrom of pestilence from which the corruption spreading through the entire swamp originated?

And Link made the mistake of looking down. There was nothing but air and a pair of talons keeping him from plummeting into the black and indigo vortex. It spun, slow and sinister like the gaping maw of some colossal monstrosity lurking unseen beneath the opaque water of the swamp. In spite of his paranoia though, the tight grip of the talons in his shoulder joints never loosened, and Link soon found himself on a raised platform made of reeds that could be reached by following a series of walkways that climbed a set of ascending towers to his current location. Normally it would be an easy walk were it not for the giant beetles swarming the walkways. And of course, there was no safety inspector to require guard railings.

Sitting up, the boy rubbed the sore indents in his shoulder joints and tried getting his heart rate under control and Kaepora Gaebora took the opportunity to speak without being interrupted, save the occasional groan of moderate discomfort. "We meet again Link. You've come a long way from your homeland and I understand why. But, there are some things you must know and that is why I brought you up here, so we could speak alone."

Turning to look out across the swamp, Link could barely make out the patch of land where Dark presumably still stood. "Why is it always information my partner isn't allowed to hear," Link asked, trying to keep his voice even. Something about the Owl's tone had him on edge. Dark always seemed to be involved in some kind of conspiracy or another.

"Indeed, though I think you'll agree with me once you hear what I have to say." The owl twisted his head in a full circle, surveying the area for anything that might be eavesdropping. Once he was satisfied that there was no one nearby, his head rotated back to face his charge, continuing, "You know this world is made up of the people who lived in the nightmare of Ganondorf's world. However, in that future timeline, you were not supposed to exist. You interfered from a different timeline to alter the direction of events." Kaepora Gaebora lowered his head, almost as if sighing, and absently fluffing out his feathers. "That world was fated to perish and even though the Evil King has been banished, the people moved to a new land and reborn, that fate has followed them even here. Now it is this world that is fated to perish. Even if you stop the moon from falling and defeat the mastermind of this cataclysm, there is still a fate to be satisfied. It cannot be avoided… but… if one person could shoulder the burden for all the other people living on Termina, who do you think it would be?"

The sage's tone and the fact that he'd gone to the trouble to fly the blond all the way up away from any other prying ears could only point to one thing. Link felt the blood drain from his face as he stared through the clouds floating lazily across his vision like poisonous dreams. "Oh my Goddess… It's Dark. Why! Why would they do that to him!" Link demanded, feeling his fingers tightening into a fist. "After everything I've been through to save my partner in the first place, then coming to Termina and getting involved in another dangerous quest only to find it would be futile in the end is absolutely ridiculous!"

He turned to glare up at the bearer of bad news but one glance into the deep brown pools of the owl sage's eyes and he was stuck, pinned in place by the gaze staring back. "Do you really think they did this on purpose? Din, Nayru and Farore created the universe with a system that would be balanced and fair to everyone. How could they have known that it would end this way? Even our Goddesses cannot predict the future." Link dropped to his knees staring helplessly up at the avian. He knew the owl's words to be true but still couldn't help the need to lash out against something, anything. "I do not know where you found that shadow of yours but he bends the fates in ways that even I can't predict. There is a fate of annihilation that must be fulfilled and he is the one most likely to attract it. That is all… I suggest you enjoy what time you have for you never know when fate will strike."

Meanwhile, back down below, Dark was making his way up the woven reed ramps and muttering irritably the entire time. "Why is it that no matter where we go, I always get stuck taking the long way around?" he growled, reflecting back on their various adventures. "Just like in the Spirit Temple, 'oh, it's a fifty foot high moving wall with spiders and spiked edges. I'll just Hookshot to the top and let Dark climb all the way up here. He doesn't need any help!'" Out of the purple mist, a shrill screech split the air and one of the giant beetles came charging down the narrow walkway to attack the intruder. Shifting his weight back, Dark swung his right knee up, snapping his leg out and sending the insect screaming and plummeting into the waters below. "Fucking hate bugs."

Just as Kaepora Gaebora finished imparting his last bits of wisdom and flew off into the purple haze, Dark wandered up to the highest platform to find Link sitting cross legged with his Ocarina sitting in his lap. "I get the feeling he doesn't like me very much," Dark pointed out and Link nodded his agreement. "Why is it that all of your friends hate my guts?" His thoughts went to Epona and Zelda and the Owl Sage but the Kokiri shook his head.

"That's not true. Malon and Saria liked you," Link pointed out as he pulled off his mask and sat down to start briskly rubbing his shins. He always liked to have his blood pumping before entering a temple so he'd be more mentally aware to deal with the numerous deadly traps that he always expected to infest the opening hallway of the dungeons. Of course, he hadn't yet seen a dungeon with any particularly horrible traps waiting in the front door but better to be safe than sorry. "Now, what did you find?"

Dark mumbled something unintelligible under his breath and held out a dusty old manuscript of what appeared to be pressed palm leaves. Link gingerly took the book from his partner to leaf through the pages. Though the pages had cracked and colored with age, the horizontal lines and the symbols between remained unmistakable. "It's a song book… Not all the pages are readable but some of these songs are still intact. The Sonata of Awakening…

Link stood on the edge of the platform overlooking the toxic maelstrom with his pipes in hand. The notes of the Sonata of Awakening rang true through the swamp, although oddly muffled by the sheer density of the fog. The last brassy notes faded into silence and the boys looked around uncertainly. Another tense minute passed when a tremor ripped through the swamp, followed by another and another until the once placid water roiled and bubbled like a pot of boiling water.

A giant wave crashed into the wooden tower, knocking Link's top heavy form over. -More- Out in the middle, the water rose up in a huge dome as the temple emerged like a whale breaking the surface; a giant, stone, moss covered whale. The violent churning brought everything from skeletons to large tree trunks floating to the surface after being dislodged from their watery graves. There it was, a large square stone pyramid whose upper level supported two fully grown trees. Curiously, though the trunks were large enough around to have been growing for decades, the tops were flat, as though someone had come and chopped the tops off. Still, if not the size then the sprawling root system running down the sides could attest to their age. When the shaking finally stopped, Dark went over to help his Deku partner, who was stuck on his back and futilely flailing his arms around. "Jeez," Dark huffed, pulling Link to his feet. "You put on a few pounds recently?"

"Dark," Link muttered, "Do I need to remind you that I'm made entirely out of wood?"

The boy stared incredulously, as though actually comprehending the rough grained surface of the Deku for the first time. "You are? That's awesome!" He flashed a childish grin and proceeded to run his fingers along the grain of the wood, much to the Deku's embarrassment. Still, he bore the indignity with as much grace as he could before finally slapping Dark's fingers away.

"Alright! That's enough; we have a temple to purge."

"Rob. You know we will. Any treasure boxes are fair game, as usual. You know I'm right," Dark teased, leaning back against the small post holding up the colored streamers. Link just shook his head and dove into the pink Deku flower then shot into the air to float with his helicopter flowers over the swamp to the large open staircase that marked the entrance to the temple. Dark on the other hand was left to jump across the stunted tree trunks and lily pads that poked up out of the grungy water to haul himself up the long roots dangling down the side of the temple.

Inside the temple the poison was much more concentrated; thick and choking as though trying to strangle the life out of the intruders. Even Link, who as a Deku couldn't smell a thing, could still feel the ominous weight settling down on him. They surveyed what they could see of the temple, which was only a foot or so away since the smoke was so thick. What they did see was through heavy lidded eyes, as though some invisible spirit was dragging them down. "Nngh... Definitely gonna need a nap before we're done." Dark yawned, taking a few steps into the haze. "Y'know... isn't it weird ho- Aaaahhhh!"

"Dark!" Link squeaked, edging forwards. Sure enough, just a few steps and the floor abruptly ended. He peered off the precipice until a muffled 'I'm okay!' reached his ears. Satisfied that his partner was alright and _not_ being run through a meat grinder, Link skirted the edge of where the floor dropped off. He soon found that he actually stood on a small platform whose only notable feather, aside from the front door was another of the pink flowers that would allow a Deku to fly. The click of hard leather and the creaking of ancient wood were the only sounds as Dark climbed a rotting ladder set into the side of the platform. Since the boy seemed to be alright, Link decided to take a chance and hazard a joke. "Did you have a nice trip, Dark?"

The black haired swordsman grumbled under his breath, "Very funny. Getting back to work, the smoke is a lot less thick down there. You can actually _see_ stuff. Turns out this room is pretty big. Honestly, I think I'd rather explore down there where there's less of this… stuff." Dark gestured with disgust at the ever present gloom. "There's something about this place that I don't like. I don't like it at all."

Link nodded his understanding and agreement. Ever since they'd entered the swamp he'd had the feeling that there was something else there; some malevolent presence pulling the strings. "Yes… we'll split up then. I'll take the high road and you take the low road. Tell if there is a path forward."

Now that the plan of action was set, Dark went back to climb the rotten ladder back down to the lower level leaving Link once again on his own. He tottered over to climb into the flower but hesitated on the launch. With the smog as thick as it was, reducing visibility to just a foot or two, there could be anything out there waiting… and in his experience, any monster that would live in such a place was bound to be enormous. Truth be told, going into a place where he couldn't see was one of his greater phobias. In fact… It almost looked like a patch of the fog was lighter, almost glowing. The small plant nerves or whatever they were sensed a minute air flow in an otherwise stagnant room. Link tensed up, ready to rip his mask off and dive to the side and draw his sword to fight off… a fairy?

It was a fairy, and contrary to usual behavior, it didn't even say anything, instead flying straight down the front of Links tunic where it cowered against the comforting solidity of a living being.

Down below, Dark wandered across the empty space glancing from side to side. His hand rested on his sword hilt as he surveyed the temple now that he could actually see. Several large tree trunks grew through the floor and on closer inspection, the grungy grey tiles seemed to be built around them. "Huh… So it's all a glorified tree house. Great."

In spite of his grumbling and nonchalant attitude, Dark was actually on high alert, ears perked for the slightest sound. So, when a muffled squeak sounded nearby it only took half a second for his sword to reach the source of the noise and slice neatly through the soft ball of fluff that had been flying through the air towards him. Frowning, Dark bent over to see a small, round animal with soft black fur sliced neatly in half. "Killer dust bunnies… This temple keeps getting better."

Walking around the base of the column that he'd originally fallen off of, Dark moved to stand by the foot another column a short distance away from the first. "Hoy! Small fry! We've got some land over here," he called up into the air. Looking up, the shifting density of the fog was obvious. No way would Link be able to see anything up there. "Just keep head on over this way and don't undershoot it! It's a good twenty foot drop! I don't think you wanna find out if Deku's can fly or not cause personally, I don't think you look all that aerodynamic…"

Link waited in his flower for a signal from Dark and once he had it he was off, shooting straight up to float through the smoke filled air. Several feet higher, the smoke was so thick it was impossible to see anything, let alone make out any landmarks. In that bank of clouds, even the words of Dark's shouted commentary were muted and indistinguishable but they did provide a direction. Once he was a little pasted the sound of his partner's voice, he let go. For a second, Link questioned the intelligence of this plan before hitting the ground with a hard wooden clack. He staggered for a minute, jarred but unharmed from just barely missing landing on top of a treasure box and just in time to catch the tail end of Dark's commentary.

"… Which is why I'm stuck dealing with these fucking dust bunnies! They may look cute but these things are freaking vicious!" Strewn about the ground lay clumps of fur and the glazed over eyes of the small creatures that had decided that Dark was a threat and attacked.

Vicious dust bunnies? Link slowly shook his head kicked the treasure box open and looked over the ledge. "Where is the next one at? Quickly, before I decide to ask what you were talking about against my better judgment," he squeaked, barely biting back a startled yell as another fairy shot out of the treasure chest to hide beneath his clothes.

Dark smirked, breaking away from the wall to look around. Something about the architecture felt so familiar… The murals of grotesque, bestial faces lining the walls and leering at anyone who dared to enter. What sorts of things could this temple have seen? Dark's mind went back to some of the other temples he'd encountered. It almost reminded him of the Shadow Temple. That sprawling network of catacombs beneath Kakariko Village had seen enough blood to fill the entire Southern Swamp. Something about this place felt similar. "We've got another one over here. C'mon, I'd like to get this place done before the moon falls out of the sky and crushes us all. I dunno about you but I like living."

He sat there for a moment, waiting for some sign that his partner had indeed found solid ground up there in the dense purple clouds. It came a moment later when a Deku nut dropped out of the sky, releasing a blinding flash right in front of a startled Dark who just barely managed to cover his eyes. "Argh, damn it! Fine, fine, I get it," he muttered, jogging over to the next and final platform. Link carefully edged his way around the platform until he found the pink helicopter flower.

When Link landed on the next platform, he found a grey, mildew stained stone door adorned with the same wile and outlandish faces that occupied the wall below. He sighed, shaking his wooden snout in distaste as he pulled some of the dense ivy off the walls, though he needed to turn back into a human to lower the makeshift rope down to Dark. Down below, Dark was sitting and waiting none too patiently for some idea what the next plan was. He kept himself occupied by swatting the black 'dust bunnies' that continued to throw themselves at him. "Oh, offering a lift? How nice of him, but it is so lovely down here," Dark drawled sarcastically as he climbed the vines. When he arrived at the top, he found Link staring once more at the murals on the walls.

"Pagans. Disgusting."

Taking a closer look, one of the figures in the crudely sculpted mural actually looked somewhat familiar. "Hey, I read about him... The god of living mud or something like that." Dark leaned against the wall, trying to remember back to the book he'd read about the religions of Termina. From the ritualistic shamans of the south to the wizards of the north, the four sections of Termina had vastly different methods of worship. The entire concept had Dark fascinated. Link, however, just snorted and pulled the door open. The wall of smog that came billowing out had both boys on their hands and knees gasping for air. The sickly sweet stench of the covered everything else, so strong to the point they could taste it. "Ugh, that's disgusting. You think it's going to keep getting worse the farther we go?"

Link's tense nod stemmed from a wealth of experience. When it came to dungeons, things _always_ got worse. They forced themselves through the door over the nauseating flavor of rotten fruit and perfume. At least, in Link's mind, that was the closest comparison he could come up with, though he didn't have time to dwell on it for long. They stepped into the room and a high pitched buzzing filled the room. It sounded like something he'd heard before, something so familiar… Suddenly it hit him. The Forest Temple. "Damn it all to hell!" he yelled, knowing exactly where it was headed. Just a few seconds later, the hordes of mosquitoes lurking off in the haze surrounded the tasty living flesh but Link was too fast. Already his skin was hardening once more into solid wood.

Scowling, it occurred to Dark that once more, his boyfriend was taking the easy way out of things while leaving him to take the brunt of the frustration. Perhaps the only bit of good news was that since opening the door, all the purple smoke began to flow out to equalize in consistency with the other room, making it slightly easier to see. Eager to move just to avoid being eaten alive, Dark ran down the small curving wooden ramp ahead of them. It lead down to a small stone platform just inches about the same bubbling indigo water that filled the swamp. Just before he reached the bottom, a Deku Baba sprouted out of the uneven paving stones and lunged. Dark blocked the attack with his forearm and hacked the plant off at the roots, then lopped off the swollen blue head to take the Deku Stick it left behind. Just as he was bending down to retrieve the stick, another of the fairies flew down the back of his tunic. Feeling something fly down his shirt, all Dark could think was a mosquito; he reached back and smacked the lump on his back only to hear a high pitched scream in response. More than a little disturbed, he pulled out the crumpled form of a small pink fairy. _"Please… take me with you."_

She sounded so alone and helpless that Dark couldn't help but feel bad for her. "Alright, just don't get in my way," he mumbled, tucking the creature into his pocket.

To the left, a chained and padlocked door sat in the only available wall space while the right was water and lots of it. Out in the center of the pool, a large wooden machine, shaped almost like a flower sat surrounded by evil looking black lily pads that sported a single glaring eye and a ring of teeth on the petals.

Dark's eyebrows shot up into his bangs as he stared quizzically into the eye of the lily pad. "Well, that's not suspicious at all. Hey!"

As much fun as it was to stand around and listen to Dark's witty banter, the only thing occupying Link's mind was the possibility of being crushed by a million tons of rock if they didn't hurry. He'd just reached the bottom of the ramp, saw the locked door and decided to continue on. With the eminent doom of the planet on his mind and a faint premonition tickling the back of his head, Link skipped out over the water to land right on the conspicuous lily pad. It sank a bit under the added weight but otherwise nothing happened. Somehow he'd known it was safe. Perhaps it was a sixth Deku sense or something like that.

Using the lily pads, he skirted the outside of the large wooden machine to the east side of the room, leaving Dark behind to glare irritably. "Like hell you're leaving me behind," he muttered, slapping several mosquitoes off various parts of his body. He turned to sprint back up the ramp and leap off the other side. The low stone platform with the five clay pots in the corner that he'd been aiming for suddenly looked a bit farther away than he'd estimated. Dark wind milled his arms as he fell through the air, just barely landing on the platform but his footing didn't hold. Hearing the crash, Link looked out across the water to see his partner laying in a heap of broken pottery fragments with another pink fairy floating in circles above his head.

When he could sit up, Link was right there next to him to survey the damage. A few shallow cuts from the broken pots and a large bruise from the Deku Baba were his only injuries. "I have no idea how you managed to survive this long being reckless like that. You really need to take better care of yourself," Link chided but Dark just flashed a cheeky grin, stood up and took off, running right along the wall to the door on the other side. The Deku Scrub joined him a moment later and together they proceeded deeper into the dungeon. The next room, like the previous consisted of small stone docks on interspersed through a toxic sea. Right out in the center sat a platform just big enough to hold a Deku flower and nothing else. The only other solid ground stood before a door on the eastern wall and a treasure box against the northern wall while a balcony ringed the room from above. "I'm just going to go get that treasure chest. Do you think you can sit still for that long?

Contrary to popular belief, Dark could very well sit still for that long for he was still there, slapping mosquitoes when Link tossed him a small silver key from across the room. "Split up." That was all it took. Dark nodded his understanding; they'd done this sort of thing before on a semi regular basis. They'd go off to do what their individual talents would allow and meet up later.

The room that Link had decided to visit was only one small chamber inhabited by turtles. Of course, seeing as how it was in a dungeon, they couldn't just be normal turtles; They had to be large, angry, spike covered turtles. Not that that had made the slightest bit of difference. To be standing on top of a flower when a heavy chunk of wood goes shooting out of it wouldn't be good for anyone's health. Now that his room was cleaned out, Link sat by the door with his reward, the map. To see it on paper, the Woodfall Temple really wasn't all that large. Area-wise, he and Dark had already visited more than half the temple. Right after noticing that, another box on the map suddenly turned blue. Apparently Dark was in a dead end room of his own.

It was almost ten minutes before they met up again, mostly because after clearing his room, Dark had continued on upstairs and inadvertently left Link running to catch up. When he finally did, it was in a long, dark corridor, lit at the end by a single torch. Instead of poisonous gases, the air here was filled with decades worth of dust. A glint of the pallid torch light on metal flashed in the distance as Dark swung his sword through the air. Fur and blood and squeaks of pain joined the dust moats in the air as more and more of the furry black animals met their end against the cold, unforgiving steel.

Link scurried down the hallway, arriving to see another fairy retreating into Dark's pockets. They'd both made a few attempts to try and communicate with their passengers but neither group of fairies seemed inclined to do more than huddle together and shiver. "Hello again. I trust you haven't had too much trouble so far," Link asked after pulling off his mask. Thought it didn't really matter much, the truth was that the Kokiri just couldn't stand the sound of his own voice as a Deku. As soon as he was back to being human, the sudden apparent shift in climate hit him like a punch in the face. "Wow… I hadn't noticed how _humid_ it is in here," he commented, sitting on a low circular stone wall to examine the map some more.

Since the blond was staring down at the map, he completely missed out on the flat stare directed at him. "Yeah, humid, tell me about it. Not like I've been stuck wandering around in this muggy, sticky, disgusting stuff for the past hour." Taking a seat next to his partner, Dark dropped the compass in Link's lap then proceeded to clean the 'dust bunny' remnants from his blade. "So how're we doing so far?"

"Hmm, well that's interesting. The compass says that we have nine out of fifteen fairies. Five rooms left. Right here is where we came in, and here are the boss chambers. I think we can get back down to the main room from these stairs here. There are these two rooms here, the room leading to the boss and then the boss itself… or so I assume, if this temple is anything like those in Hyrule. Who knows, we may get lucky. Maybe there won't be some giant evil creature waiting to try and kill us."

It felt nice to be optimistic but they both knew that avoiding a battle wasn't going to happen. "Well… Here's hoping I guess."

Just as the map said, a small spiral staircase lead back down into the room with the large wooden flower machine, but up on a balcony that lined the northern and eastern walls. Having spent so long as a Deku, stepping back into the poisonous fog had Link's head swimming. He stumbled against the wall as the smoke sapped his energy and weighed his eyelids down. Part of him just wanted to lay down and sleep. "Hey! C'mon, snap out of it Link. We're almost finished, just pull yourself together for a few more rooms and then you can sleep all you want."

Sighing, he got up as Dark forced himself to his feet. With the northern door barred shut and no immediately visible way to open it, they headed out the eastern door and onto a balcony in the room that had contained the first key. They followed it around to a door at the end and as soon as they were inside, the door shut and barred behind them. "Hey, this must be an important room if we get bars," Dark commented, looking at what they had to work with. It was just another small square room with a large puddle of water in the middle and a pair of trees growing out of the floor and straight through the ceiling. "What do you think it'll be?"

As if in response to his question, a Lizard warrior in a steel chest plated dropped from the ceiling, brandishing a sword and spewing a stream of bright crimson flames into the air. "My money is on us fighting a Lizafos," Link suggested.

Dark just rolled his eyes, standing with his sword at the ready as the Lizafos screeched its high, reptilian battle cry. With a quick glance to his partner, Dark dashed forward to swing up diagonally, clashing blades with the lizard. Once the creature's weapon was occupied, Link was there, slashing from the other direction. His Kokiri sword didn't have the kind of power that the Master Sword had possessed but still managed to make a cut through the dinosaur's thick scale hide. It jumped back, growling and dripping thin trails of blue blood onto the ground.

"Heh… Now this is more like it!" Dark smirked and rushed forward again with Link at his side. This time it was the Kokiri who took the block, locking blades to leave the Lizafos completely vulnerable for Dark to run in and attack. His strike left a fresh line of blood dripping down the lizard's belly. It glared at the intruders through slitted eyes and lowered its head to spit a steady stream of fire at its opponents. Splitting off from each other, Dark and Link circled around in different directions. Link hopped back, always just a few steps ahead of the crackling flames when Dark's blade burst through the lizard's chest from behind. It let out one last shriek and collapsed.

Dark sat back, pulling a rag from his pocket to clean the lizard blood off and looking around at the sections of the trees that had caught on fire. "Hope someone got insurance on this place…"

With the guardian of the room dead, a treasure box materialized in the middle with a prize for the victor. Link stepped away from the box holding a short, gold colored bow and light brown leather quiver of arrows. "Ah… It feels so good to have a bow again!" He smiled, strapping the quiver to his back and testing the strength of the bow string. For having been sitting in an underwater temple for Goddesses only knew how long, the bow was still in remarkably good shape. Then again, the same could be said for all the equipment he'd ever pulled out of a dungeon. "You see Dark, the dungeon provides."

Indeed, right across from the door on the other side of the room sat a switch in the shape of an eye, meant to be shot with a bow. Seconds later the eye was closed and an arrow dropping into the purple water below. The platform with the Deku Flower out in the middle of the pond suddenly started to levitate, moving up to second floor level and then back down like an elevator. "Over there is the last room and I'd be willing to bet it will have our last key, if there is indeed a key to find. Since this is one room I have to do alone, can you go open the other door out there?"

Dark scowled and stepped out into the main room. Of course, once again the stupid Deku Flowers were keeping him from going places and being useful. Stepping back out into the main room, Dark was left to look around for a way to retract the bars. The first switch he found only materialized ladders to make it easier to move between the first floor and the balcony. Right in front of that switch, set low in the floor was a torch bracket. It was unlit, but filled with oil. Down below, in the center of the wooden flower machine, another unlit torch sat in the center of the mechanism. "Hmm… Well, let's see about being creative, shall we?"

"Creative, Mr. Dark? It sounds like you have a brilliant idea, as usual. Do tell what it might be," Dark responded to his own question as he walked back to the room where they'd found the bow.

"Well you see Mr. Dark, our lizard friend left us some burning trees, so if we peel off some of this burning bark we can use it to light some torches," he explained as he snapped off a section of burning tree bark and turned to go do exactly as he'd told himself.

"Why Mr. Dark, that is an absolutely genius idea. Inspired even!"

Dark grinned childishly as the oil in the torch burst into flames and all the mosquitoes floating around were drawn to the light. "Oh hey… I totally forgot I had a Deku Stick. I could have done things the easy way." Lightly smacking himself in the forehead, he lit the end of his Deku stick on fire and jumped off the balcony to land on top of the wooden flower to light that torch too. The change in the room was almost immediate. The flower flexed its petals and rose to the height of the balcony to start spinning in place. As it spun, the dense smoke started to thin and the dark purple water below lightened until it was clean and pure. Best of all was the sound of the hiss and crackle of mosquitoes flying to a fiery death. He would have been content to just lay there and wait but one of the fairies finally decided to venture out of the safety of Dark's pocket.

"_There are still some of us trapped. We can take you to them…"_

Dark groaned and got to his feet. It wouldn't really be fair for him to take a nap when he'd told Link to wait for the end of the temple, and so he forced himself to go fairy hunting. He was actually surprised that he'd only missed two and they were in very out of the way places; stuck under a dock and inside a beehive. Meanwhile, Link had found his last treasure of the dungeon; a large gold key with a glowing red ruby in the center.

Now that the greatest defense in the temple had been neutralized, navigating was no longer near as troublesome and it wasn't long before Link and Dark stood before the giant, gold padlocked gates of the boss chamber. After the usual trouble just getting the door open since the lock was a good eight feet of the ground, then entered the final room.

A light wooden rattling sound filled the room and an empty, mechanical voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere at once. "_So, the sacrifice comes to offer itself… to the God of Woodfall."_


	6. Interrupted

**_AN: Hello everyone. I hope you've all been doing ok. I've got another installment of the story today and I hope everybody likes it. I did have alot of fun writing this one, particularly the opportunity to toot my own horn. Perhaps it wasn't the most humble thing to do but I found it amusing XP_**

**_Also, something I forgot to mention. I put together a facebook page for my stories so if anyone wants to yell at me to publish faster or see how a chapter is coming along, just feels like talking look up Fenrir Riku. If enough people are interested, I'll post teasers for future chapters. Read, and please review. I could really do with some cheering up and nothing makes my day like hearing from you guys. Thanks! ^^_**

Thought the rest of the temple had been cleansed, the boss's chambers were still filled with purple smog that absolutely reeked of something rotten sickly sweet with the underlying stench of stale blood. The omnipresent rattling grew louder and louder until it filled the whole room and suddenly, a shadowy figure dropped from the ceiling into the middle of the smoky haze, slowly rising to its feet. Link waited body tense with his sword in hand just waiting for it to lunge and make the first strike… but instead, it spoke! The harsh, metallic voice spoke Hylian but definitely not with a human throat.

"_Welcome sacrifice. Come quietly and I will give you as quick and painless a death as I can, even if you __**did**__ slay my guardians."_

For the first time, Dark and Link could really see what they were up against. The 'God of Woodfall' stood about 15 feet tall and looked… shaped like a person anyways. Instead of skin though, his entire body was just a mass of greens and reds and blues swirled together into strange designs up to his head, concealed behind a tribal mask. The wooden grain, fabric strips coming off the sides and unmoving scowl all pointed to a mask but the glowing red eyes behind it said something else. It was honestly hard to discern whether Odolwa merely sported full body paint or was actually just a mass of solidified color.

While Link noted all the details of their enemy's appearance and stance, the only thing that caught Dark's eye was the sword in Odolwa's hand; the sword, which was actually more like a giant machete had more length than either of the teenage boys had in height despite their recent growth spurts. "Wow… You see that thing?" Dark asked, giving the blond to his right a nudge before turning to speak to the boss of the Woodfall Temple, "I bet you like it rough, huh? That's good because so do I. C'mon, let's dance."

Link shook his head at the sexually suggestive comments that were oh-so-typically Dark but Odolwa just brushed them off. _"Be silent shadow, yours is not the blood that will set us free."_ Growling, Dark tightened his grip on his sword. No one talked to him like that and got away with it! About to make a comment to that effect, he was cut off again by Odolwa speaking, though neither of the boys had the slightest idea what he was saying. "_Che gadn'hoi. Che gadn'hoi. Che gadn'hoi" _

The strange chanting had Dark tilting his head to the side. Obviously something was going on but he couldn't sense what it was. Link on the other hand could feel the magic filling the room, being drawn in from all over the temple and beyond to pool around Odolwa's feet. But how? Normally, a person drew upon a store of magic inside themselves and in Link's case; even the powers the Triforce afforded him came from within. He'd never seen someone able to draw on natural energy. If that was indeed what was happening… "He'd never feel strain or magic backlash. This isn't good. We've got to stop him now. Let's go!"

Jumping into battle with grim determination, Link held off what would have been his first attack to leap to the side, avoiding the machete smashing into the floor where he'd been standing a second before. Using the opening, he darted in, stabbing his sword through the back of Odolwa's calf and then wrenched his arm back to slice through where his leg tendons should have been. Instead of collapsing, the Masked Jungle Warrior jumped into the air so quickly it left an after image. Link was left standing there, looking frantically through the smoke for the next incoming attack when something hard smashed into him from the side, sending him sprawling. Immediately, the Kokiri rolled to his feet to see Dark there in front of him and chips of stone flying through the air where Odolwa's weapon had once more struck the ground. All the while, the chanting never ceased… "_Che gadn'hoi. Che gadn'hoi. Che gadn'hoi _

"Come on! I'll show you to underestimate me!" Dark called out, striding purposefully into battle, eyes locked on his enemy's weapon. Odolwa attacked again, this time a horizontal slash, aimed to cleave the boy in two but Dark back flipped, landing on the flat of the blade as it carried him up and lunged forward, driving his blade straight through the 'god's' throat. In the instant he relaxed afterwards, a hand smashed into Dark. He plummeted down, landing on his back as the impact with the hard stone floor drove the breath from his lungs. All he could do was lay there, staring up at the swamp deity. '_Hey… My sword is still stuck in his throat. How is that thing still chanting?'_ he wondered in an abstract, detached sort of way as he watched Odolwa's machete plunging down towards him. "_Che gadn'hoi. Che gadn'hoi. Che gadn'hoi _

The strike didn't have a chance to connect though. Dark rolled to the side as four arrows punched through the warrior's chest in quick succession, driving him back. Link ran over to pull Dark to his feet when the chanting behind them changed. "_Che gadn'hoi. Che gadn'hoi. Che gadn'hoi. Wo che'dai Wo che'dai Wo che'dai" _

Odolwa reached up, pulling the blade from his throat and tossing it off into the smoke as the magic in the room grew thicker, condensing and pulsing to the rhythm of the chant. It thickened to the point that it was almost tangible, forming into spider like creatures of the same mottled color scheme as Odolwa himself. '_Of course…I see now.' _Link shook his head and tossed Dark the Kokiri sword. "Here, you hold them off!" he shouted, running off into the murky distance.

"Huh? Hey!" Dark caught the sword just in time to parry an incoming swing, though it lifted him off the ground with the force of the impact. He landed, spinning to cleave through one of the magical constructs jumping at him from behind and with that done he ran. As mighty a warrior as Dark was, fighting off opponents from multiple directions was not something suggested unless absolutely necessary. Seeing his target fleeing, Odolwa added a strange dance to his chanting, jumping back and forth from foot to foot. The magic in the room rose up and burst into a ring of flames surrounding the black swordsman and setting the constructs following him alight. "He'd better have a good idea," Dark muttered, jumping back to avoid another heavy sword slash while trying not to get too close to the flames licking at his tunic.

With his good idea, Link was running to the edge of the room where he tripped over… a bomb flower? He hadn't even known those were around in Termina and fortunately the gold bracelet snapped around his right wrist would let him pick them up. It was one of his few items that had survived the purge of his tools to save Dark's life after the defeat of Ganon, along with his slingshot and boomerang.

That was when the fires arose. "Perfect," Link whispered, aiming arrow resting on his bowstring. A familiar tingling enveloped his hand as the Triforce of Courage awoke, its golden light flowing down the shaft and filling the arrow with sacred power. Once the arrow was ready, Link double checked his aim and let fly. The golden arrow flew true through the air, dragging the crackling flames with as it passed through the ring of fire. The incendiary sacred arrow punched through the God of Woodfall's chest in an explosion of light and fire that left the warrior on his knees with spectral blue flames eating away at the edges of a crater in his chest left by the arrow.

Seizing the opportunity, Dark jumped to slash at the downed Odolwa only to hit an afterimage left behind by one of those high speed dodges. Behind him, the Masked Jungle Warrior hit the ground, altering his chant once more. "_Wo che'dai Wo che'dai Wo che'dai"Kad val'eu Kad val'eu Kad val'eu"_

Another flash of light and suddenly the air around Dark was filled with hordes of moths swarming over him, biting at his face and arms so he couldn't see anything through the cloud of drab brown wings. Just when he thought he'd be getting chopped in half any second, the swarm of moths retreated, attracted inexorably to the burning tip of the bomb flower resting next to Odolwa's foot. He looked over, catching a smug smile on his partner's face as the bomb exploded, again dropping Odolwa to his knees. As soon as he was down, Dark was there, slashing at any available bit of exposed body he could get to. The infuriated Odolwa slashed again, locking blades with the black swordsman and with both his hands occupied holding his ground there was nothing he could do as Link ran in right underneath the God of Woodfall, his arrow already knocked and glowing with sacred power. Aiming up, he pointed the arrow straight at Odolwa's neck and let it fly. The sacred arrow pierced right through the hardened magic body and the tribal mask fell to the ground while flickering cyan flames consumed his body, his weapon and the smoke left in the room leaving only a mask and a heart container behind.

For a moment Link just lay there, breathing deep the fresh, clean air while Dark wandered the room, searching for something. It took a minute, but he found his sword stuck point first in the wall off in a corner of the room. It took a bit of tugging but he finally managed to pry his sword and a chunk of the wall free. He turned around and stopped, staring in mild amusement as Link voraciously devoured the red and blue candy heart container. Link caught the bemused smirk and blushed. "What? I have a sweet tooth," the blond explained with an abashed mumble and Dark just laughed, tossing Link the mask of Odolwa and stepping into the light of the portal that appeared in the center of the room. The soft blue ring of light enveloped his body, carrying him up into the darkness of the ceiling above with Link just seconds behind.

On the previous quest, similar portals would appear at the end of every temple so that Link could go to a platform floating off in space somewhere to visit whichever of the Sages he'd rescued and then be mandated into listening to a lecture about how much they believed in him, or his sworn duties to the country or his sex appeal and whatever else the Sage felt like talking about. As the light carried him up, he couldn't help but wonder, what if that happened again? What if he returned to the Chamber of Sages only to find Ruto waiting… The very thought of having to deal with _her_ again sent shivers down his spine. Best not to think about it.

Fortunately, when Link opened his eyes, there wasn't a single deranged Zora princess in sight. Instead, they stood on a hexagon shaped pillar surrounded by fluffy pink clouds and with bubbles floating all over the place. Somewhere off in the distance, hidden by the clouds, a giant figure moved closer by never enough to be clearly seen. But they heard it.

It cried out in a long, drawn out, wavering voice that sounded almost like a sad song. '_C… A… L… L… U… S…'_

Dark tilted his head to the side while Link sucked excess sugar off his fingertips. "Call us? How do you call you!" Dark yelled to the giant behind the cloud. Understanding the language of the giant was a little difficult for Dark but not impossible. In response, It sang back something that had Dark shaking his head. "I have no idea what's going on."

"Quiet," Link whispered, head tilted to the side and ears perked as he listened to the Giant's answer. "A… F… D… F… A… D sharp. They're musical notes." Having licked his fingers clear of all sugar, they were clean for him to take out his Ocarina and play the somber melody back to the giant. For a while they just stood there, letting the melody fill this land in the sky until the Giant turned and walked away. Once he was gone and his entire world went with him, leaving Link and Dark sitting in a new room of the swamp temple.

"Well… That was interesting. Where are we now? How do we get out of here?" Dark asked, glancing around the room. Link pulled out his map, sighed and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. His partner ran off to enjoy being outside again but something else had Link's attention. According to the map, the room should have been larger than it actually looked. Upon closer investigation, one of the walls was actually just a thick mass of vines. Chopping through the vines opened the way into a small cell with a small Deku scrub, but with makeup and wearing an ornate red dress, she was different from any other Deku Link had ever seen in that she was a she; so far, all the other Deku had been male.

"Wh-who are you?" she asked in that stereotypically squeaky Deku voice.

"Don't worry, we're here to rescue you." Link flashed his encouraging hero smile. It was something he'd practiced; people needed to feel like their savior was in charge of the situation. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case.

"Link! Get out here!"

The Kokiri's smile wavered, torn between wanting to maintain the appearance of strength for the Deku and heeding his partner. Dark won out. It was the tone of urgency in his voice, giving way to panic. Throughout their travels together, they'd faced some very intimidating trials together but not much could make him sound like that. Running outside down a ramp that led out the back of the temple, it didn't take long to see what had Dark on the verge of panic and it took precedence over everything, even the fact that the swamp had been cleansed of poison with the defeat of Odolwa.

It was the moon. That giant, leering stone face was so close to smashing into Termina that Link could have shot an arrow up and poked it in the eye. "I think it's a good place to reset time."

Nodding, Link took a step back, breath catching in his throat. For the first time he really, truly wondered if this battle could be won. He reached for his Ocarina when a chorus of high voices rang out from inside his tunic as all the fairies he'd collected started to swarm beneath his clothes. With all of them screaming at once, it was hard to make out any individual words but the picture was clear. It wasn't too bad until they started biting. "Ah! Ow! Alright, alright! Just stop that!"

Dark just grinned and pulled his shirt off, shaking the fairies he'd collected out of the fabric. "Alright. You better hurry though. Run."

Just as soon as it took to gather Dark's fairies and he was off, sprinting up the split log ramps. The fairies guided him, tugging him in the right direction towards a cave where their fountain was hidden. Dark waited outside, just staring up into the sky as the moon came plummeting down towards the earth. "Wh-wh-what are you doing! Do something! We're going to die!" the Deku squeaked, hopping up and down.

"Probably. This is one of those times that you just gotta look at things as they are. We're probably all screwed but if I know Link, we'll be fighting for a long time yet and as long as we're here, no one's going to die. Maybe we'll figure something out. Maybe we won't but if we can't stop this, we'll at least give a hell of a show before we die." Dark grinned, watching imminent doom approach. The moon fell closer and closer, crushing the clock tower, then the entirety of South Clock Town and then nothing.

High above Clock Town, three days before the Festival of Time, the masked Skull Kid looked curiously towards the south. "Hmm? Something strange is going on…"

Link walked out of the Clock Tower and stretched, breathing deep the fresh morning air and all the smells of the early life of the town. The scent of baking bread, spices and morning dew filled the air as he strolled off towards the hotel district of East Clock Town and into the main lobby of the Stock Pot Inn. Just like before, Anju the Innkeeper was there waiting at the front desk. "Um… hello. Are you… here for a room?" she asked nervously, not wanting to turn down another potential paying customer. Of course, Link already knew that all the rooms were booked.

"No, my room is already taken care of. I'm staying with my boyfriend Dark in room 207." He responded. It was still somehow secretly thrilling to be able to call Dark his boyfriend to someone else. Link trotted upstairs as Anju let out an audible sigh of relief before it clicked in her head. Link, Dark, boyfriends? Almost instantaneously, the brunette's face light up a bright shade of red as she imagined several horribly perverse scenarios that Dark would have _killed_ to see become a reality.

Up at room 207, Link knocked several times but got no response and the door was locked. With some of that magical feeling of a new day fading away, he headed back downstairs to ask Anju's advice. "Excuse me? It looks like Dark isn't here. He mentioned working at a bookstore but I have no idea where it is. Can you help?" he asked with that wide eyed innocent stare. For some reason it usually seemed to get him what he wanted. Perhaps it was just difficult to say no to a pair of blue eyes.

"Um, yes, I know where he works. I can take you there. I wanted to pick up some books anyways. Just a moment." Of course, in Anju's case, her motivation was slightly less wholesome, spawned from a desire to see if his claim of being Dark's boyfriend would be proven. After getting her mother to watch the front desk, Anju and Link left to go traverse the streets of East Clock Town. On the way there, they talked about the festival , the moon falling and other various things. Mostly Link just listened more than talk about himself. Something told him that Anju was lonely but before he could make a complete opinion, they reached the bookstore, 'Edges'.

Inside, Dark was there with a stack of books, his feet kicked up on the front desk there straight ahead from the front door. A little bell over the door announced their arrival and Anju walked off towards the neat rows of light oak bookshelves off to the right leaving Link standing awkwardly in the doorway. Upon hearing the bell, Dark cracked an eye open, saw his partner and jumped up to run over and pull the blond into a tight hug. "There you are! I've been waiting for you for days!"

After spending that much time in battle during the Woodfall Temple, Link's first instinct was to tense up. It took him a moment to remember, this was Clock Town. It was safe (relatively [or so he thought]) and he could relax. Loosening up, Link pulled Dark closer, leaning forward to whisper in his ear, "Sorry for the wait. Did you miss me?"

Grinning, Dark reached up to tousle the mess of blond hair in front of him. "Course I did. And you're gonna be so proud of me, I've been doing research and I found some really interesting things. I'll tell you all about it when I get off work."

Link nodded, taking one of the books from the stack Dark had been working on and settled down at one of the tables to read. Anju blushed from her hiding spot in the romance section where she witnessed the entire exchange. After several deep breaths to calm herself, she headed up to the front desk to lay a book down there. "E-excuse me, I'd like to purchase this."

Dark picked up the book and flipped it over to read the title on the front cover , slowly breaking into a grin. "The Other Half of a Hero by Fenrir Riku, huh? I've heard this one is really good; it got some amazing reviews. That'll be eight rupees. Let me know if you enjoy it," he whispered, snickering when she tossed her money down and ran from the store.

Looking up from his book, Link glanced towards the door to see Anju scurrying away. "Dark, what did you do?" he asked in the slightly irate tone that suggested that whatever had happened had indeed been Dark's fault. Which it had.

"Oh nothin'. Just made a comment about the book. She was buying a romantic action story about the unrequited love a young warrior has for his partner. Sound familiar?"

Tilting his head, Link thought back over the course of their adventures. "No, not really. Why?"

Dark sighed, flipping his book shut. "Y'know, I love ya to death but you really are clueless sometimes. C'mon, let's go.

He'd made an arrangement with the owner of the store several days earlier, so Dark just left a note listing the books he was borrowing as well as maps of Clock Town and Woodfall and set out to drop off his treasure trove of knowledge back to his room at the Stock Pot Inn. As soon as they had, Link was running off back downstairs and out the door. "Dark, do you have any Rupees? I need twenty."

A little dubiously, he handed the money over and watched Link run into the Shooting Gallery. Chuckling under his breath, he followed to see Link step up to the platform and take aim. After much practice, Dark had become a decent archer but he was still nowhere near the marksman that Link was. With an arrow pulled back til the feathers brushed his cheek, Link waited for the whistle to blow.

Back in Hyrule, the targets for the Shooting Galleries had been giant rupees moving in different patterns. This one had an ocean them complete with painted on seagulls against the backdrop of water and islands out on the sea. The timer started and groups of animatronic octoroks popped out of the cardboard waves only to get speared on the tip of an arrow. It was always interesting to see Link in a contest like this. His focus on the targets never wavered and his hands kept moving, smoothly firing arrow after arrow, hitting perfect score.

They walked out of the shooting Gallery with a 50 rupee and a Heart Piece for Link to snack on. Most of the day they just spent wandering around, visiting other buildings in Clock Town like the post office and Mayor's office, neither of which were open. For Link, in spite of the urgency of the quest, a day to relax was greatly needed. Even though it technically never happened, the imaginary battle at Woodfall still had him exhausted, both physically and mentally.

It wasn't until the evening that they returned to the Stock Pot Inn. Dark sat on the edge of the bed, kicking his boots off. Of course, the first think Link did was to settle down and crack a book open. Perhaps it had something to do with working in a bookstore but Dark had had enough of books for one day so he walked up behind his boyfriend, rubbing the blonds' shoulders. "Hey, you should relax. We've been working all day; you need some time to unwind."

Link shook his head lightly. He knew that soft, seductive tone of voice all too well. Still… maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea so he marked his book and leaned back. "Relax hmm? And do you have any brilliant ideas on how to do this?"

No sooner had he asked, Link gasped, feeling teeth grazing against his neck and sending shivers running down his body. Moaning, he tilted his head back, baring his neck to Dark's teeth while a hand traveled up his shirt, resting lightly on his abs. "Nnh, gods, yes Dark," he whispered when the sound of shattering glass from downstairs broke him from his reverie. Several more sounds like something heavy being thrown around and Link was on his way to go investigate.

"Damn it… Damn it all," Dark grumbled, running after him. Downstairs in the common room, Anju stood timidly in the middle of a bar brawl waiting to happen. Two larger men, a guard and a carpenter were arguing loudly over something while Anju attempted to mediate. "Um… Gentlemen, please… calm down or go outside."

"Quiet!" the carpenter bellowed, knocking Anju to the floor with a heavy backhanded slap. As soon as he saw that, Link pushed through the crowd, jumped on the table and holding the blade of his sword to the carpenter's neck. Up close, he could smell the cheap beer coming off the man in waves. "Get out. Now." Link growled, poised to slash the man to ribbons. Of course, Dark knew better. He knew that it was against Link's code to kill without a very good reason. Originally, he'd wanted to avoid killing any people but faced with Twinrova, that had proven to be impossible and having broken his perfect record, it was now irreparably tarnished.

Even in his inebriated state, the carpenter knew better than to fight back when faced with that cold gaze. Defeated, he stumbled from the inn with as much dignity as he could. For Dark, in spite of how it had interfered with his sex life, he couldn't help but feel pride in his partner. "Always the first to jump into a fight over your beliefs. Farore help me if I know what I'm gonna do with you,"

The common room was immediately silent, all eyes on Dark now wary and mistrusting. The tension in the room was so thick it was palpable and the harsh whispers of 'heretic' and 'heathen' told more than clearly how these people felt. "Dark, I know what you're thinking. Don't do it. Just walk away." Link cautioned by the mob to be had other plans.

"Get them!"

Link stomped his foot on the edge of the table, flipping it up into the crowd and jumping off at the last second. He grabbed Dark's wrist, dragging him out the front door with a group of angry people hot on their heels. The angry shouts of "Stop them!" And "Don't let them get away!" soon had others gathering in the square of East Clock Town. Pulling a sharp turn, they ran up the steps on the side of the Inn only to see a battalion of guards leaving the mayor's office. Growling, they turned and ran up the next flight of stairs to the highest point in East Clock Town. It was meant for getting into the attic of a local bar, Chateau Romani. Other than that, it just dropped off over the East Gate out of the city. Aided by the blood and adrenaline pumping through their bodies, the jumped the wide gap over the East Gate to the pillar beyond and from there they jumped across bull's-eyes advertising Honey and Darling's shop and onto the next roof to hide behind the large sign for the Shooting Gallery.

Since it was situated in the corner, the roof of the Shooting Gallery actually hooked around the corner into a small alcove with a treasure box waiting at the end. "Wow… What was their problem?" Dark flopped down on the wooden boards, panting lightly.

Opening the chest, Link took its contents and sat down a little more sedately. "I'm not sure… Have you read anything about the Three in any of the history books?" he asked, toying with the silver rupee he'd just pillaged from the chest.

"No! I haven't seen them mentioned anywhere, but then, I'm only working off public books and something here just reeks of a conspiracy. I don't think those are public record. We'll need to find someone sympathetic." Dark frowned, going over the list of people he'd met in his time in Termina to see who might be willing to help but it was Link who hit a breakthrough first.

"I think I know someone. Come on."

Climbing through a loose slat in the sign, they dropped silently to the cobblestones below and gliding stealthily through the shadows. Down in South Clock Town, the festivities were still in full swing and paper lanterns had been set to illuminate the party. Skirting the edge of the lights, the retreated into the alleys of West Clock Town where Link took a quick pit stop by the bank. Even though she was blind, the banker always seemed to know who was who. "Hey there little guy, what's going on? You gonna make a deposit?" she asked, peering up at Link through her curtain of hair.

"I am, but first, can I put my boyfriend on my account? I want him to have access to my money in case we need it and I can't come personally."

The banker girl glanced over at Dark, her milky white eyes staring right into his. "Sure can. Just need to stamp. C'mere." She answered, gesturing him closer to press a thumb to his forehead. "Alright, all done. Can I do anything else for ya?"

Link nodded, dropping his silver rupee in her lap. "Yes, a hundred rupee deposit."

"You're giving me that much? That's a lot! A lot, a lot!"

With the bank 'paperwork' sorted out, they slipped into the network of alleyways, winding their way towards the northern end of South Clock Town and, when no one was looking, into the Clock Tower itself to see the Happy Mask Salesman. "You seem to have caused quite a ruckus back in town. Have you gotten my mask back yet?"

Shaking his head, Link sat down on one of the low stone steps. "Not yet, but I have something I'd like you to take a look at and hopefully after you do, you'll be able to tell us what's going on with the people here."

The Happy Mask Salesman took the remains of Odolwa with a serious expression, turning the jungle warrior's mask over in his hands. "This is the mask of a shaman… and it holds a terrible power inside it."

"Yeah, we saw that much," Dark mumbled, sullenly rubbing a bruise that was forming on his shoulder.

"You have? You've actually fought the Shaman?"

Link bit his lip, considering the options. He knew the Happy Mask Salesman from back in Hyrule so therefore, in theory, he shouldn't be a part of this whole theological conspiracy so, together, Link and Dark recounted the events of Woodfall.

"I see. This is most interesting, and most troublesome. You see, the power in this mask, terrible though it is, is incomplete. I believe it to be just a part of something much greater. As for the state of Termina, I cannot help you much. I've wandered the worlds with my masks and I haven't been to Termina in quite some time. I do know that the Goddesses you worship in Hyrule are taboo here. Also, remember that song you learned well. People still speak of the Oath to Order but the song itself has been long forgotten. And now you should leave. The people of Clock town will find you here soon."

Dark groaned. "Seriously? This is ridiculous," but he let himself be dragged off and they ended up in the more heavily wooded areas of North Clock Town.

"Come on, cheer up. It won't be too bad. Sleeping outside, under the stars, it's just like old times, isn't it?"

For the two Hylians, laying together there really was a nostalgic experience and not at all uncomfortable. The trees shielded them from public eye but the grass was short but thick and luxurious. In fact… it was almost a perfect place for something else.

In spite of having been interrupted earlier, Dark's libido was still alive and well. He rolled to the side, pinning Link underneath him. "D-dark! Is this really the time or place for that?" Link stammered, blushing lightly.

"Yes it is." And with that, he used his lips to silence any further protests before the blond could make them. As soon as Dark bit his lover's lip to assert his dominance, Link suddenly leapt into action, kissing back harshly, slipping his tongue in to explore the other boy's mouth. He felt fingers messing with his belt buckle and pulled Dark in to kiss all the harder when he heard something he didn't expect at all.

"_Help! Come back! Thief! Give an old lady back her luggage!"_

As soon as he heard that, Link kicked Dark off and ran out to go stop what sounded like a mugging in progress, leaving Dark sitting behind and very frustrated. "Damn it, damn it, damn it damn it damn it!" he growled. At first he wanted to be irritated but then he realized something; someone had instigated this mugging and they were the perfect outlet for this irritation.

Link raced out of the trees, trying half heartedly to get his belt buckled again when he saw it; an old woman lay sprawled out on the road while a bald man in red striped pants pranced off with a bag slung over his shoulder. Dashing after the thief, Link drew his sword and jumped, slashing through the rough burlap sack. With his steal foiled, the thief ran off towards the North Gate. "Stop him!" Link called to the guard on duty but the guard merely stepped aside and let the thief run free.

More concerned with the old woman, Link carried the torn bag back to her. "Oh thank you young one, now we'll be able to stock bomb bags at the shop. Here, I have a reward for you. It's a dangerous mask but maybe you can make your own fireworks to honor Majora."

She handed over a dark blue mask with a skull clearly emblazoned on the front but Link was more worried about what she'd said.

"You know about Majora? Please, tell us…"


	7. The Mystery of Majora

**_AN: So, i'm getting my ideas compiled and I actually have a stable structure for how I want the rest of my story to go. Progress is a wonderful thing guys... Seeing as how I have absolutely nothing of importance going on until October, should have another chapter done soon. Reviews please please please? Alot of my old reviewers have disappeared or gone mute or something and it makes me depressed. I need people to tell me what they like! If my fic makes you happy, tell me what you think and make me happy because I write more when I'm happy. [/endrant] I think that's all. Enjoy_**

Majora. For some reason that name kept coming up in the strangest of places. Of course, Majora's Mask was that purple heart shaped mask that the skull kid had been wearing when Link had met him in the forest… technically the day before. But the person behind the mask was not Majora, in fact, the mysterious figure known as Majora didn't seem connected to the mask bearing his name at all and now here was someone who might actually shed some light on the mystery. "Please, tell us what you know about him."

The old woman nodded, shifting her slashed burlap sack into a more easily transportable position. "So, you youngsters want to hear the old stories? It's good to have an interest in history. But this isn't the place. Come back to my shop with me," she agreed and Link took the bag to carry it for her while they followed the woman back to a small shop along the main drag of West Clock town. All the way there, Link and Dark kept a careful eye on the surroundings. Following the woman made it hard to avoid anyone who might have been part of the mob hunting them from earlier.

The door opened and the boys strolled into a dimly lit room smelling of pine wood and gunpowder. Sitting at a workbench in the back, a bald, tattooed teen looked up from a half finished bomb shell. "Momma! Where have you been? And who are they?"

Dark's head tilted curiously. The guy looked about seventeen years old but his skin was pale enough to rival Dark's own and riddled with piercings. On top of that, his chemical stained smock, pants jangling with more clips and buckles than a person could possibly need and a monotone voice that sounded unimpressed with everything didn't seem like they would belong to the kind of person say 'momma'.

Walking over to the bench, Link set the old woman's bag down on the bench, taking the opportunity to inspect what was going on. Though he'd been using bombs ever since Darunia had given him the Power Bracelet to lift bomb flowers (and other heavy objects), he'd never actually stopped to think about what made them explode. The only thing that mattered was lighting the fuse would make a boom and if a boom was needed for the quest then a boom would be used.

"Would you believe that I almost got mugged? And that prancing man seemed so nice; I never would have expected him to attack an old lady. Luckily, these two young men were nearby and helped me get my luggage back." The old woman sighed, trotting back behind the counter to start unloading the sack. "It's alright though Gus; we can start stocking bomb bags in our shop now!"

Gus just shook his head. Leave it to the old folks to have total disregard for their own safety. "Momma, the bomb bags aren't important. Do you see what could have happened to you? No more wandering the city in the middle of the night, ok?"

His concern was lost though as 'momma' informed him rather indignantly about the importance of keeping their shop in good standing with the rest of the community and that required getting new products to keep up with the competition. "Can't tell the old bat anything," he muttered under his breath, but despite his frustration, it lacked any heat. "Still, she means a lot to me. Thanks for helping out." Gus stepped up to the counter to share a brief handshake with the blond who'd saved his mother from her misfortune up in North Clock Town and while Link tried to pass it off as no big deal, Gus' mother came back out with a tray of teacups. Once everyone was settled in the rough wooden chairs with their tea, she sat down. Dark sniffed the tea suspiciously.

"Drink up dear, gunpowder green is one of my favorites. Now… You wanted to know about Majora. That's a story I haven't heard in a long, long time," she said, her voice growing faint as she fell back through the years.

"_Long ago, before Clock Town or anything else was here, before even our beloved giants, they say that this land was crafted by three Goddesses. They shaped the land, brought about the people and the animals and then they left, abandoning their creations. Now, the very first of the humans made was a great and powerful mage and it was he who guided the people. He built Clock Town, set up the government and led our people to be happy and prosperous. He was named King and everyone adored him, giving him the name Majora, meaning "The Greatest." We had the four giants to protect us from afar and our loving god Majora to handle affairs at home. But the Goddesses didn't like this. They grew jealous that we chose to worship the one who actually stood by us through the years. Furious, the Goddesses broke Majora's body and scattered the pieces to the four corners of Termina, leaving his soul trapped in a mask, helpless to do anything but watch his people in spirit."_

By the end of the story, the old woman's voice was cracking and heavy with emotion, as though some deep and terrible pain were dragging down her words and she stumbled off into the back room, muttering under her breath. The entire present company watched her depart, including a Goron merchant who'd opened the door in time to see her trudge off. "Uh… Hi. Is this the Bomb shop?" he asked uncertainly. Presumably the Goron was male although both Link and Dark were a little dubious on the subject since female Gorons didn't seem to exist.

Sighing and rubbing a hand over his bald head, Gus invited the Goron in to discuss business. "So the bomb bags got here alright," the Goron noted in that harsh, rumbling voice that marked his kind. It wasn't just the voice, but the distinctive appearance as well; squat, chubby brown humanoids with rock spiked backs tended to stand out in a crowd. "That's good, but make what you've got last. There's something strange going on up at Snowhead and now the pass back into the mountains is blocked!"

Snowhead… Something about the way the Goron had said it sounded significant, like it had to be spelled with a capital letter. It could maybe be something important so Link cleared his throat to ask, "Excuse me? What exactly is this Snowhead?"

The Goron peered over at the blond, squinting slightly as though his eyes were bad. Something filled the room, like the pressure before a storm, making the air heavy with anticipation. "Ohh… Well, Snowhead is an ancient temple way far north that is always frozen over. Spring should have come to the mountains by now but we're still sitting in blizzards. Some of the elders say it's because Goht is angry with us and won't let spring come."

As soon as she heard the name of Goht, the old woman's head snapped up and she walked slowly towards the counter, her eyes devoid of expression. "Yes… Goht. Gyorg and Twinmold have awakened as well, but for Odolwa, the Lord of the Swamp there is no sign." Her head turned to look directly at Link who still had Odolwa's mask in his pocket. "It was the Hylian… But how? Tell me Hero, how did you slay the guardian of the swamp so quickly?"

The air grew even thicker and the old woman's voice changed, taking on a harmonic quality of two voices speaking at once. Gus took a step forward, grabbing her shoulder but she didn't react at all. Dark stepped quickly across the room to stand by his partner, every cell in his body on edge. Something was very wrong here. "I think it's about time we get the hell out of dodge," was his terse mutter and Link quickly nodded in agreement. That was when the front door opened to reveal the mob from earlier. Armed with pitchforks and shovels and torches letting off thick billows of smoke, they piled through the narrow door frame, quickly transforming into a violent crowd.

"There they are!"

"The heretics! Get them!"

"Don't let them get away!"

With their main escape route blocked, Dark leapt up onto the counter to vault over the bomb shop owner and Link was just a step behind. He came hurtling off the counter with a bomb bag in his hand but it was empty. None of the new shipment of bomb bags had been stocked yet. Down a narrow corridor they ran to a thick wooden barricaded door. Dark hit the door, yanking on the handle but the door refused to budge, not even when he slammed his fist into it. A second later he was against the wall with Link pushing him away with one hand and putting on the blast mask with the other. The explosion blew the sturdy wooden door right off its hinges and into a second group of villagers waiting outside in ambush.

The force of the shockwave had Link disoriented and swaying on his feet. He was about to start attempting to run when Dark swept him up into his arms and dashed out into the network of alleyways that sprawled through West Clock Town. After two or three minutes of running, Link was squirming around in Dark's arms, "I can walk now, put me down…"

They ducked into a dead end alleyway, giving Dark a chance to shake his arms out while Link peered around the corner onto the main drag of the western quarter. "It looks like they have the West Gate blocked. The other gates will probably be blocked too."

He leaned back against the grungy brick wall, sighing lightly, "There is another way out… over in East Clock Town." Of course the only way out would be clear across the city. Why wouldn't it be? Link wasn't too upset though. He'd already been through one quest where even the little details seemed stacked against him so why would this one be any different?

For the next half hour they moved through narrow side streets towards the northern end of the quarter. Occasionally, when the sounds of their pursuers got too close, they'd take to the upper level, moving across the straw overhangs that sheltered outdoor booths from the rain. The sun was just starting to rise when they moved into North Clock Town, heading immediately for the undergrowth that lined the wide dirt paths that wound through the parks that populated the northern area. About to delve deeper into the foliage, Dark stopped when something tapped his shoulder and turned around to see Link holding a finger to his lips and motioning to follow. They moved like shadows through the bushes, taking care not to snap any twigs underfoot. A moment later they were stepping out of the dense growth and running towards the Great Fairies Cave. "Why are we here? I thought we needed to go east?" Dark grumbled but Link shook his head as the high pitched laugh of the Great Fairy filled the cavern when they approached the marble archways that surrounded her fountain.

The Great Fairy of Magic, like all her sisters or whatever they were didn't believe in clothes. Her outfit consisted of full body tattoos of ivy climbing her legs all the way to her considerable breasts. Levitating in midair, she flipped over onto her stomach and crossing her legs behind her. "So, what can I do for you, young one? I see you've regained your true form."

Link nodded slowly, "Yes well… it's slightly embarrassing. You see, we have a mob out to get us and I was hoping we could hide here for a while until we can get out of town."

The fairy let out a low chuckle, shaking her long blonde tresses. Personally, Link didn't think that the hair color suited her at all. "I feel the touch of the Farore on you. It's no wonder you've got people around here upset. "

That comment had both of the Hylian's attention. Solid, reliable information about what was going on in Termina had been scarce and patchy at best. Too many things didn't add up, making what information they did get dubious at best. "What can you tell us about what's going on? Do you know Majora?"

At the mention of Majora's name, the Great Fairy's face fell and she dropped down to float at face level, glancing around cautiously. "Do not speak that name here. You two have already done enough to draw attention to yourselves. I can only hope that he is busy elsewhere. I think it would be best if you leave now."

"Wait! We need to know what's going on. There is something strange going on in Termina and we're trying to set things right." Link explained.

"It might help if we knew what we were trying to fix," Dark added, taking a position where he could keep an eye on the cave entrance. Some gut feeling was telling him to be on guard and his gut feelings were usually right."

The Great Fairy sighed in frustration. The longer she spent talking, the more danger she'd be in. "Alright, alright, fine. I don't know much. Believe it or not, we Great Fairies aren't as strong as you'd think. All I know is that things didn't used to be this way. There was a time when Termina was just a normal country. Time pulsates here and people would appear in waves. One day, a man would be living next to an empty house. The next, the house would have a family and they'd be the best of friends with their neighbors. These time pulses overwrite history, changing things that have already happened to fit in with the present."

Link listened, nodding slowly. Everything she'd said so far made sense. The Goddesses said that they'd made Termina for the people of the future timeline of Hyrule. They'd also said that Dark was the last to go from that timeline. It made sense that they'd work in phases rather than just dumping everyone all together at once. "It was a strange time but that's just how the Goddesses decided to do things," the Fairy continued. "One day, everything changed in the blink of an eye. There was suddenly this dark presence everywhere; corrupting the minds of everyone it came in contact with. I don't know where he came from but he is stronger than I am; strong enough to shatter my body."

"You weren't the only one," Dark chimed in. "The Great Fairy over in the swamp was also broken… And I think we ought to get going." The trails of smoke drifting into the sky from the woods signaled the approach of the mob.

"Yes. I have one last gift for you. Use it to restore the other Fairies to their true forms, now hurry over here and hide!"

Link scarcely had time to look at the mask she thrust into his hands before a gust of air hurried them towards the back of the fountain. Outside, the individual lights of the villager's torches shone close enough to see the actual flames. The glowing red lights flocked towards the entrance of the cave like a swarm of fire flies. Though they approached the cave, for some mysterious reason, none of the villagers tried to venture inside. Whether they were afraid to enter or it was some type of magic would remain a secret.

Around noon, they crept cautiously to the mouth of the cave of the Great Fairy only to find a steady drizzle of rain. Dark stared out into the sheets of rain with a puzzled expression, "Wasn't it raining today last time?" He thought back to before time had reset to two days before the Festival of Time.

"Yes. It seems that we really have gone backwards. Even the weather is the same… What are you smiling at?"

Dark's mind was in the past present. He reached up to gently flick the blue ring hanging from Link's ear. "You remember what we did today?"

Link nodded slowly, confused. They'd played some carnival games and gotten their ears pierced. Why was that important? Then he saw the sly grin on his partner's face it had the blond blushing to the roots of his hair. Dark chuckled, wrapping his arms around Link's waist from behind, nipping at his neck. "You know what I'm talking about. I think we should do it again. Soon."

Shivering, the Kokiri tilted his head back, fighting the urge to moan, but those teeth felt _so_ _good_. "Yes," he whispered… At times like this, Farore's warrior really had to feel some irritation towards the Goddess Nayru for making it feel this good. He had a quest to do after all and how could they be so heartless as to expect a teenage boy to deny his hormones forever! So, in an extraordinary exercise of self control, he pulled away from the dark haired boy. "But not now…. And certainly not here." The thought of the Great Fairy watching them go at it had Link's stomach roiling. Not that there was anything wrong with her but still, there was a principle to uphold

Groaning, Dark followed his boyfriend out into the rain when a sudden yell caught their attention.

"There they are!"

"Fuck… Run." With their position disclosed and a mob of villagers closing in, they dove for the nearest cluster of bushes. They threw all earlier caution to the wind, racing through the dense undergrowth, not slowing for the branches lashing at them or the thorny vines tearing into their unclothed legs. They ran until the sounds of their pursuers faded away, and then kept going for a while longer. They finally stopped at a small stream, bloodied and exhausted.

"Well… that was fun," Dark grumbled, kneeling by the water and gingerly washing the many cuts that crisscrossed his face, shins and arms . For having just been on a mad dash through untamed woodlands, Dark actually considered himself as having come out if it fairly decently.

Link splashed a handful of water on himself and shivered. After a moment of bracing himself for it, he dunked his head underwater, taking several long droughts before coming up for air. "Alright, I'm awake. Let's see now… We're in North Clock Town and have been running away from the Great Fairies cave which is over on the west side so we should be north of the eastern sector," he mused, pausing to shake the excess water out of his hair.

Sighing, Dark wiped the drops of water off his face and started the trek downstream. For the most part, following the stream wasn't too difficult, though staying close proved to be impossible due to the mass number of trees growing on the banks. The stream lead south, growing wider and deeper as it went until it disappeared underground about twenty feet from the border of trees that skirted the side of the dusty roads of Clock Town. "Well… whatcha think? You wanna keep following the river?" Dark poked his head through the trees to look at the entrance to East Clock Town. Of course, it was guarded by at least twenty villagers. "Jeez, where do they get so many pitchforks?"

Shaking his head slowly, Link dropped to all fours, getting a better look at the low tunnel the water flowed through. "I think that following the river would be best. This stream probably feeds into either the kitchen of the Stock Pot Inn or into the water wheel that powers the Clock Tower. Either way, it's better than here," and with that said, he shut his eyes and tumbled head first into the water. Hearing the splash, Dark grumbled to himself and dove in after.

The feeling was almost instantaneous. He felt the cool water close around him, dulling the ache in his muscles and numbing his cuts. Being underwater had always felt like home. He shut his eyes, drifting lazily along the current. Dark could have just stayed there, blissfully drifting away for hours had he not crashed into his blond counterpart. Link was stuck, treading water in front of a grate of metal bars that blocked them from going forward. The heavy, rusted bars attached to a stone archway that left about a foot of clearance above water to breath.

Catching his breath, Link swam down to the bottom of the metal bars, systematically tugging on them. He eventually found one loose enough to break away from the bottom stone. From there, the bar could be moved just enough to squeeze through. They surfaced in a small pool shaded by a single willow tree. The high stone walls surrounding it indicated that they were still in Clock Town and Anju sitting on a nearby park bench with a white umbrella to shield her from the rain. She looked up, somewhat startled to see Dark haul himself out of the water. "Mr. Dark? Why are you swimming in the laundry pool?"

"Heya Anju. I was just uhm… doing laundry. This is my only outfit and I don't like taking it off," he answered quickly, hoping Anju didn't hear Link's amused snort. Dark, wanting to keep his clothes on? As if. "What are you doing out here?"

Anju sighed, staring down into the glistening wet grass, "I… this is where I was supposed to met my fiancé before he disappeared. He sent me a letter the other day telling me that he couldn't see me anymore. I wonder… why would he leave me? Is there something wrong with me?" she asked quietly, staring at the ground.

Dark paused a moment to ring excess water out of his hair. "Don't worry Anju, we'll figure out what's going on. Me and Link are good at solving problems and whatever is going on; we'll get to the bottom of it and have your fiancé back in no time. When's the wedding?"

She looked up, watching Dark with a strange, empty expression. The light drained from her eyes and her next words came out curiously flat, as though she were sleep talking. "The wedding? It's on the night of the festival… There was going to be cake and dancing and fireworks… so many fireworks. Why don't you go out to the festival? Everyone is waiting for you…"

The sudden change in the sweet innkeeper's demeanor had chills running down both boys' spines and without a second thought they bolted down the narrow path away from the laundry pool. They came out at the top of a flight of stairs in South Clock Town with nothing to hide them from the giant mass of people gathered there. It looked the same as South Clock Town normally did but it felt entirely different. There was no talking, no laughter, no market stalls hawking their wares. It was just a silent group of vacant eyed villagers, shopkeepers and carpenters all staring at the two Hyalines.

Link shivered again, thoroughly disturbed. So many of those faces looked so familiar. They were people they'd met during their travels back in Hyrule; friends even in some cases, now just a legion moving silently towards the flight of stairs. It was either back down towards Anju or … "Alright Link, ready? Follow me." Dark growled, pulling his sword from its sheath.

"No! Dark, we can't hurt them," Link started to say when Dark jumped off the edge of the stairs, hooking his sword over the top of one of the long wires that had been used to hang streamers, turning it into a zip line. Link followed and they slid down the line, shedding paper Mache decorations as they went. Once past the crowd they dropped and hit the ground running to East Clock Town. More villagers blocked the stairs to the northern end of the quarter. Tapping Dark's shoulder, Link veered off towards the Stock Pot Inn and with a mighty leap, launched himself up to grab the edge of the second level veranda. They dashed across the deck and leapt over the railing, dropping to the cobblestones below. "We're almost there!" Link shouted and put on one last burst of speed towards the alleyway that led down into the sewers beneath Clock Town. Having someplace to run, Link felt a little better now that they were no longer cornered but even in the dark underground, they couldn't relax. For all he knew, there could be more villagers waiting in ambush but they reached the bottom of the tunnel and the stone trenches that channeled sewer water beyond.

Having been through there once before, Link knew the way to follow, jumping along the high areas of the sewage drains towards the exit. "Eww," Dark grumbled as his foot slipped into the foul water. He paused on the other side of the first sewage lane to shake his boot off.

"Look on the bright side Dark. At least we can get out of the city and off to Snowhead now."

"Yeah… I just hope they have a warmer welcome for us there."

Link sighed, his attempted optimism fading just a little bit. "So do I Dark. So do I."


	8. A Day of Rain

**_AN: Hello again everyone, back again with another installment of the Majora's Mask series. About last chapter, I just thought I'd clear something up. Gunpowder green IS an actual tea; it's made in china and the way they dry it out, the tea leaves roll up into little balls that look like gunpowder, which is how it got its name. There, you all learned something new. I also want to give special thanks to someone who has helped me out alot in writing this. Dedicated to Andy, always, whether I say so or not. Read, review, ask questions, suggest stuff. Hearing from you guys makes me happy. Enjoy!_**

Though Clock town was a fairly large city, at least in terms of cities in Termina, the sewer system wasn't all that difficult to navigate. Link had pondered this fact once or twice and had come to the possibility that the sewers and that the current area simply didn't have a convenient way to get to other sections. Then again, it wasn't as though he'd spent all that much time exploring the sewers so it was also possible that he'd just missed any other areas.

Personally, he thought it more likely to be the former. The same sort of thing had happened back in Hyrule underneath Kakariko Village. The Shadow Temple was a huge, sprawling complex that spanned the underground of the entire village and deep into the mountains beyond. It had had several sections that didn't connect to the others. The sewers, graveyard, mausoleum and catacombs had all been totally disjointed from each other. "Dark, does this place remind you at all of the Shadow Temple?"

Pausing, Dark glanced around the tunnel. A sparse trail of torches set into mildew stained walls set a trail lined with ankle deep sewage and the smell of mold and rot filled the air. "Not really. They both smell like shit but that place was evil. This is just... dirty." His answer took on an undertone of disgust as a rat scurried away from the sounds of the intruders.

Link sighed, stepping over a moldy turkey leg and took a second look around. "The temple wasn't evil, Dark, the things done there just made it seem that way. Anyways, I was more talking about the structure. Judging by the size of Clock Town, this place should be huge and it gets me wondering what other sorts of things might be down here..."

"Like Redeads?"

"Like treasure."

Dark grinned, despite his silent desire to keep his mouth closed as much as possible in the sewers. "Wow, that's out of character for you! You never want to do anything that's not on the 'Quest Itinerary,'" the boy teased, nudging the blond in the ribs.

Flushing, Link picked up his pace, striding purposefully ahead, "I am not suggesting we stop and explore, I only meant that I was a bit curious what all is down here. Am I not allowed to be curious?" He heard Dark laugh from somewhere behind him and his returning taunt echoed off the stone walls.

"Yes, curiosity is very out of character for you. It took you a _very _long time to start getting curious about some things."

Something about the suggestive way Dark said it had Link with a full blush as he thought back to their night in the hotel room. "Well... well... You're a bad influence, that's what!" Link shouted back and Dark ran to catch up, wearing his usual sardonic grin.

"So I'm a bad influence am I? How so?"

Grinding his teeth, Link had to fight down the rising urge to swing a punch. He loved his shadow to death but that cocky smile and smug surety could be so_ frustrating!_And then other times, that exact same attitude could be unbelievably sexy and the poor Kokiri never knew which way he was feeling. "L-look at where we are! As filthy as this place is, it's got nothing on how dirty your mind is!"

The narrow stone tunnel opened out into a wider square room. Straight ahead, a ladder lead up into the observatory outside of town and as before, a large purple balloon bearing the image of Majora's Mask blocked the way forward. Eager to get up into fresh air once again, Link jogged over to some clay pots resting in the corner of the room. The pots usually had some sort of useful item inside and he'd long since learned not to question why they were there, just as he'd learned not to question why people would lock their life savings in a wooden box and leave it in some obscure location for a passing adventurer to take.

Not bothering with his sword, Link smashed the pot with a sharp kick then bent down to retrieve a bundle of arrows from the pottery shards. Pulling out his bow, he set an arrow to the string when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist. "Link..." He shivered, feeling a hot breath caressing the back of his neck.

"No..." The arrow went flying with a light _twang _and burst the giant purple balloon in a shower of glitter, revealing the passageway to the observatory behind it.

"C'mon Link... Aren'tcha gonna let me finish?"

The blond pursed his lips shut as he felt a set of teeth graze the sensitive skin just under his earring. "No! No... Nnn"

Link shook his head and started moving towards the ladder. He felt his heart racing, his skin burning feverishly and he just_ knew_ he was blushing hard. Damn it all, how was Dark able to do that to him so easily? A tight grip on his shoulder spun the boy around and he found himself staring into Dark's ruby eyes. "Link..." Dark was practically_ purring _and his eyes glimmered with a smoky, seductive gaze as Dark slowly ran his tongue along his bottom lip.

By now Link's body was really starting to react but this just wasn't the time for that and it sure as hell wasn't the place. Still, it was almost regretfully that Link pushed himself away. "Absolutely not! We are not having sex in the sewers!" and with that he clambered up the ladder and into the observatory beyond where he slumped against the wall to catch his breath. A moment later, he felt his partner slide to the ground next to him, chuckling quietly.

"Y'know... for me being the one with the dirty mind, I didn't say anything about sex. You did. So, who's the real pervert here?"

For a moment, Link just stared, dumbfounded as he thought their previous exchange back over. Dark was right. Sighing in defeat, Link leaned to the side, laying his head on Dark's shoulder. "You're a jerk, you really are."

Dark just laughed again and leaned down to kiss the top of his boyfriend's head. "Love you too..."

They stayed there for just a few minutes, enjoying the moment. Life had been a little too hectic to allow for many such moments to come up. After all, it was hard to be romantic while running for dear life so it was nice to be able to stop and enjoy a moment of peace and quiet in an otherwise chaotic world. Not for too long though. After all, death was quite literally hurtling down towards the entire country of Termina so they couldn't afford to spend too much time lazing about.

The inside of the observatory couldn't have been more different from the rank, dungeon-esque sewers they connected to. The décor switched from dank brick to brightly painted walls. Blues and greens faded into purple and from there into the hotter colors, making a rainbow effect. The brilliant splashes of color climbed the walls of the small circular room; a trail of green spiraled up just above the railing of a staircase that led up into the dome of the observatory. "He uses the space down here for storage," Link explained to Dark who was busy poking around curiously. The old astronomer had the strangest assortment of objects in his basement, including an old gramophone, a scarecrow, a half build cannon and a chicken in a cage.

"Oh, Meggy is that you!" Dark grinned, kneeling by the cage and received a cluck of recognition in return. "It _is_ you!" Link smiled gently. That childish look of excitement shining in his boyfriend's eyes was just the cutest thing. Meggy the chicken stared back at her old friend, through beady black eyes, clucking softly.

"Don't play around for too long," Link called over his shoulder from half way up the stairs. Up in the main dome of the observatory, the colorful pain faded into a dark night sky showing the positions of the constellations with a giant telescope in the middle.

The wizened old man who ran the observatory looked down from the raised pedestal underneath his telescope. Between his shrinking and the Hylian's growth spurts, they all would have been about the same height were the old man not elevated by several feet. "More friends of the Bombers? Did you boys come to use my telescope?"

Link shook his head quickly, partly because he'd already knew what he'd see through it. "No thank you sir, we're just passing through. Sorry to bother you."

Reaching the top of the stairs with Meggy in hand, Dark arrived just in time to hear the old man muttering about needing another balloon to block the smell from the sewers. He tottered his way downstairs to search for a replacement balloon, leaving the two boys up there alone with the chicken.

Dark opened the door and stopped. Outside, a steady sheet of rain poured from the sky, leaving the observatory stranded in a sea of mud. "It's supposed to rain all day, isn't it?" Dark asked, his morose tone accented by the pattering raindrops. Link gave a glum nod and even the chicken contributed a baleful cluck to the somber occasion. There was, of course, nothing wrong with the rain in and of itself but, rather, the prospect of having to hike through it for miles was a little on the daunting side. After several minutes of staring into the downpour, Link sighed in resignation and turned to look back at Dark. "Well, we have a long way to go." Meggy the chicken turned and fled from the prospect of getting wet, instead running down stairs to fly to freedom in the sewers of Clock Town.

Outside, a spiked iron fence surrounded the observatory and every step to the gate was a struggle. The mud tried to suck their boots down and, in Link's case, only a quick grab saved him from losing one of his boots to the mire. Another misfortune struck when the lock on the gate had rusted over. "Well, that's perfect," Link growled, giving the gates a half hearted kick. Dark just took one look at the locked gate then jumped at the fence. Even with his gloves, it was still a lot of work clambering up the slick metal but he made it all the way to the top. Smiling at his triumph, Dark reached up to haul himself over to the other side when the iron spike snapped off in his grip. Dark's eyes widened as he fell hard on his back with a grunt. Sighing, he closed his eyes, bits of rust and mud spattering his tunic and let the rain kiss his face.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a concerned Link leaning over him. Sitting up, he pressed a quick kiss to the blond's cheek then went back to try and tackle the fence again but just as he was setting his boot to the metal, an explosion shook the fence. Link swayed on his feet from the shockwave buffeting his body after releasing the power of the Blast Mask. The iron gates skid across the slick grass, coming to a halt a good twenty yards away. A faint voice filtered through the ringing in his ears. "You really need to be careful about wearing that thing." Though Link nodded, Dark knew better. His stubborn Hero would do anything for the journey. As long as there were still things that needed to be blasted, he'd blow himself to kingdom come. Sighing, Dark ducked under Link's arm to help him walk until he could get reoriented and together they started their journey north.

If it had been rough before, a little while later they were miserable. The weather back in Hyrule had been getting on the cooler side, so Link had one of his warmer tunics on and Dark's had always been thick. The rain wasn't coming down hard so it took some time for their clothes to soak through. Still, about twenty minutes later they were soaked through to the bone. Gusts of wind cut through their sodden tunics, leaving the boys shivering and sniggling and huddled as close to each other as possible as they walked. Keeping their heads bowed against the driving rain, they wearily stumbled their way northward.

From the observatory to the base of the mountains fell at about twenty miles and the slick grass, mud and occasional attack from angry crows made the hike very slow going. With the sun hidden behind a dense bank of clouds, it was impossible to tell how long they'd been walking. No matter how many steps they took, the mountains never seemed to get any closer and after a few hours of walking, Dark suddenly altered course more to the west approaching Clock Town. Reaching town again seemed like a much more reasonable goal but even though the progress was actually visible, it was still some time before they reached the east wall. As soon as they reached the high stone wall, Dark collapsed against it. "This sucks. I'm supposed to be stronger than this," he muttered under his breath.

Strong, that was always how he'd seen himself. It had always been his defining quality but reflecting back on it, hadn't his strength always been shown in the heat of combat, floating on waves of adrenaline? Now, faced with the slow, draining effect that was the force of nature, his body simply wouldn't respond right. Looking at Link, the blond, though also exhausted still looked ready to soldier on in spite of everything else. '_I never really thought about the kinds of things that questing like this really meant. He can make it keep going but I can't? How pathetic." _Dark thought sullenly as deeply buried feelings of insecurity started to surface once again, popping up through his determination like dandelions in summer's soil.

"Alright, we can rest here for a while." Link sat down next to his partner and it wasn't lost on the shadow that he'd moved on the side to shield dark from the wind and rain as much as possible. Contrary to what Dark would have believed, the quest was the last thing on Link's mind at the moment. He was back in the Southern Swamp where Kaepora Gabora had practically come out and said that Dark would die. The blond still spent his nights worrying about that and the possibility that it might be from something ridiculous like an illness from being out in the rain too long wasn't something he was willing to push. Some of the cosmic jokes he'd been subjected to had been cruel enough that such a thing was definitely a possibility. "Though… I thought you liked being wet."

While the comment was half teasing and phrased in such a way that was just _begging_ to be made into a sex joke, Dark simply couldn't pull himself together enough to care. "I like being underwater. This isn't underwater, this is one of the shittiest ways to spend a day I've ever been stuck doing," he responded with a flat stare but Link wasn't giving up so easily.

"Worse than the time we mucked out the stables back in the castle? That was pretty… shitty business," he teased and Dark cracked a smile in spite of himself. They stayed there for a while, gathering their strength back, sheltered against the wall of the town. It, admittedly, wasn't the best place to rest but far better than out in an open field. Once rest was over, it was another several hours of hiking, though the town wall did cut down on the wind somewhat.

Eventually they passed the Northgate and the farther past Clock town they went, the more the temperature dropped but their destination lay in sight. The path to the mountains where Snowhead lay followed a sharply dropping path into a snowy valley before actually climbing towards the peaks. Down in the valley, giant icy spires rose and mushroomed out into large platforms whose tops lay more or less at ground level. "Th-th-there it i-is," Link stammered, pointing a shaky finger at the snow capped peaks.

Dark shook his head, unwilling to take any more abuse. He headed off to the side with Link in tow to hop down a perfectly shaped circular hole in the ground. Just like back in Hyrule, the holes (many scattered across the country) led to a small, narrow cavern with a treasure box. Some lonely fish lived in small, isolated pools of water ringed by thriving tufts of grass that provided the only cheerful color (Link's green tunic excepted).

He'd seen places like these many times before and Link had always been of the opinion that if the caverns had their own theme song, it would be a very gloomy indeed. Still, it was shelter out of the rain and that was all that mattered to Dark. "Finally, a little shelter! Are you trying to kill us?" Dark shouted indignantly as he went off to raid the twenty rupees from the treasure box in the back of the cavern and unbuckling his belt in the process. As undignified as it was, the Kokiri would never admit to having limitations and so if Dark had to sacrifice a little self respect to get Link to rest then that's what he would do.

"What are we doing down here? No, we are not having sex," Link added, somewhere embarrassed at Dark walking towards him, pulling his sopping wet tunic over his head. The raven haired swordsman sat down and crossed his legs with a bemused expressing.

"Hun, being soaking wet and freezing doesn't do good for getting hard. Right now I don't think I could give you any if I wanted to." Dark chuckled, wringing excess rainwater out of his tunic "No, I'm being practical since you don't seem inclined. After all, we haven't eaten in a while and I dunno about you but I'm cold, hungry and not at all prepared to climb a mountain covered in snow."

Link sighed, not bothering to argue with such straightforward, to-the-point logic. But Dark wasn't done. He started off by ripping up grass and dropping it into the now empty treasure box. "I mean, I know you take your questing seriously but I have needs!" A few strikes of flint against the iron bands on the box soon had a small fire burning inside the box. "A Hero can't eat, can't sleep, and can't take a piss until his quest is done. I wanna meet whoever decided those are the rules." The dark haired male continued to grumble crossly as he stripped his pants off and though Link wanted to be stubborn about it, the desire was empty and he felt himself loosening his belt and shedding his tunic as well.

"That's right, take em off," Dark purred, watching the blond squirm out of his shorts. Link flushed but at the moment, the possibility of feeling some heat was well worth whatever harassment he had to take. And truthfully, he didn't actually mind the comments; he simply showed disapproval from force of habit. It just seemed right.

Moments later, they had the hinges on the lid popped out and the wooden planks kicked out and broken down to use for kindling. Soon, they had a respectable blaze eating away the treasure chest and the blond Kokiri gave a sigh of relief as his clammy flesh heated from the fire and the warmth of his lover's touch. Dark's fingers traced an irritated red line of flesh that followed where the collar of Link's tunic had gone and the wet fabric had caused his skin to start chaffing.

The small cavern held its heat well but it still took time before the boys were dry and more time after that for their clothes to dry. While Dark worked on keeping their bonfire going, Link used the left over scraps of metal to skewer some of the fish floating lethargically in the underground pools. "Ahh… Food, fire and a cute boy; it don't get any better than this." Dark gave a contented sigh and draped an arm over Link's shoulder.

For once, Link had to admit that Dark was right. After walking for thirteen hours, freezing and exhausted, it felt good to be able to relax. Had he been on his own, Link reflected that it probably wouldn't have even occurred to him to relax. He'd dry his clothes so they wouldn't freeze and be back off on his quest as soon as possible. Smiling, he lay on Dark's shoulder, gently raking his nails down the boy's belly. Dark watched the action with an incredulous chuckle. Maybe his luck was finally starting to look up. After days of keeping himself under control, maybe his patience was finally starting to pay off. Maybe…

"Clothes are dry, so it's time to go."

Maybe not.

Dark sighed, running a hand through his hair. As much as he could get Link flustered and turned on, somehow he never managed to get the boy's clothes off and when he did; there was no action, "Nngh… Link, do you purposely cock tease me like this? Cause if you do, I'm going to be upset. We're dating, how come I never get _anything?"_ he whined, grabbing his stack of clothes.

Sighing, Link tugged his shorts up and slipped back into his tunic. "I was going to this morning but circumstances didn't really allow. Would you let an old lady get robbed just so you could get laid? Don't answer that," he added quickly as Dark opened his mouth. "I'll tell you what, if we find a good place at a good time when no one needs immediate saving, then we will. Promise."

Rolling his eyes, Dark tightened his belt with a little more force than necessary. As much as he wanted to argue, Link really wasn't asking anything too far out. 'Wait for when there isn't a mob trying to kill us' seemed a pretty reasonable request so he nodded, belted on his sword and prepared to venture forth once more to attempt to save Termina before moonfall.


	9. SubZero

_**AN: I hate Gorons. That is the only reason I can provide for this long wait is that I hate Gorons with a passion and I simply did not have the muse to write involving them. I plan on getting into Snowhead fairly quickly and for all of your patience, there will be some nice, steamy romance coming up in the next chapter. Review please, I've got lots of foreshadowing going on here for things to come. Oh, the things I have planned... **_

The sun set behind the horizon but hidden as it was by a dense veil of clouds there was no distinguishable difference, especially since the Terminian moon cast a steady glare of hatred at the living (and undead) creatures moving over the surface of the planet regardless of day or night. Still, the rain had slowed to a halt by the time Dark and Link pulled themselves from the small underground cavern that had been their shelter against the driving rains. Standing there under the gaze of the moon, they took in the fresh air, permeated with an after-rain scent and an eerie, haunting music drifting on the breeze.

Normally, there wouldn't be time to stop and investigate every little event of interest along a journey but since the source of the music was just a short walk away and shrouded in spectral blue flames, a few minutes couldn't hurt. The figure, presumably a ghost, danced to the high pitched keening of a flute atop one of the giant… whatever they were protruding out of the ground but it wasn't too far away. A good leap off the balcony overlooking the snowy valley below carried him to the icy spire and immediately, the temperature plummeted. His boots made contact and kept going; skidding across the icy surface of what he realized was a flash-frozen tree. The still green leaves shown through the ice where he'd scraped off the snow covering.

The first thing that crossed Link's mind was how silly he must look, eyes widened and wind milling his arms to try and maintain some balance. At least he felt accomplished about managing to not fall over, that is, until he saw Dark perform the same jump, stick the landing and skid gracefully to a halt. "Why do you always have to show me up like that?" Link grumbled, ignoring the amused chuckle behind him. They'd come out here to investigate something and that's what would happen!

"_I am no longer among the living… My sadness to the moon…. My dance has not been passed on to the world."_

Link tilted his head to the side, inspecting the ghost. There really wasn't much left of him; just a mostly indistinguishable white cloud swaying back and forth, although a black ponytail was vaguely recognizable. Taking his partner's silence for confusion, Dark helpfully translated. "He's telling the moon that he's depressed cause he's dead."

Did Dark really think he was that slow? Apparently so. Sighing, Link shook his head, mildly disappointed. "Yes, I realize that. But why is he talking to the moon?"

Shrugging, Dark slipped his hands into his pockets to keep them warm. "Dunno. Not like there's much else out here to talk to and while it isn't a very nice looking one, at least the moon has a face. So, what are you gonna do about this guy?

"Do about him? Why would I need to do something about him?" Link asked, somewhat confused. It wasn't like the ghost dancer was hurting anyone. He was just out there spending his, admittedly, somewhat depressing afterlife dancing. As far as the Kokiri was concerned, nothing needed to be done about it.

However, Dark didn't share the same opinion. "He's a restless spirit. Isn't it your heroic duty to lay them to rest or whatever? Besides, he's suffering! You've got to be able to do something," Dark urged, lightly shaking the blond's shoulders.

"It's my heroic duty to lay spirits to rest? Where in Hyrule did you get that idea? I mean… I suppose I've done it before but they were dangerous and in my way. This one is just minding his own business," Link explained, gesturing at the ghost who continued to dance, oblivious of the two living boys having a conversation about him. "But if it will make you happy then very well," he finally conceded, reaching into his tunic pocket for his instrument. The Ocarina of Time was one of the few tools surviving from his original journey. Most of the others had been lost in a desperate attempt to save his partner's life. So many memories lay in the pale blue wood and every time he held it in his hands, it made the vertical scar running down his stomach twinge; it was almost as though it remembered that night when he'd impaled himself on sacred steel. With that in mind and a somber mood, the Song of Healing echoed through the chilly air.

The ghost dancer stopped, his flute silent and for the first time noticed Link and Dark and more than that, he noticed the song. "_I wanted… for the name of Kamaro to be remembered for making the dance that would be a great melting pot that brings people together and I leave it to you now."_

Dance? Melting pot? This time correctly interpreting Link's blank stare for confusion, Dark once again translated, "He said that he wanted to start a dance craze that's popular everywhere and he wants us to teach it to other people."

Nodding slowly, Link took a step forward as Kamaro's ghostly body faded away, leaving nothing but a mask laying in the snow and a gentle whisper on the breeze, "_I'm counting on you…"_

"He said he's counting on us," Dark noted but this time it only earned him an unimpressed stare before Link jumped back to the overhang. As soon as he crossed the low wall that acted as a railing, the temperature rose sharply back up to a balmy seventy degrees.

Kamaro's mask… it obviously held some kind of power inside it and Link was glad that he could sense such things again, what with his magical senses crippled. Maybe they were finally starting to recover. With that in mind, Link stared hesitantly down at the mask in his hands. So far, the masks he'd collected had proven to be painful to wear in one way or another. Still, the mysterious power of the mask intrigued him.

Dark landed on the low wall, watching Kamaro's Mask cover Link's face. As soon as it did, the blond froze, just staring off into space for a minute and right when Dark started to worry, he shook his head quickly, dazed. "Wow… That's quite an interesting experience," Link murmured. "I understand his dance."

Noting Dark's look of skepticism, he pulled off Kamaro's Mask and handed it over to let Dark try it out for himself and it didn't take long to find that he'd been wrong to doubt. As soon as the mask touched his skin, knowledge of the dance flooded into the boy's mind. It was like he'd been dancing it for years. It felt so natural to slip into the rhythm, shifting body weight from one foot to the other, swaying to the beat. Dark had always had excellent balance so he wasn't concerned about trying to perform a pirouette on the ledge. Link watched for a few minutes before beckoning his partner over with a wave of his arm. "Come on Dark, that's enough playing around. Let's go. "They'd had a few minutes to play but Link was eager to be back on the road once more. The giant, ugly moon wouldn't wait for them. But Dark wasn't ready to go just yet. A hand gripped Link's shoulder, spinning him around and the next thing he knew, Dark was there, dancing with him.

The climate hit a sudden change almost immediately. Dark spent a moment stepping back and forth between snow and lush grass, as though the snow couldn't pass an invisible boundary. "Huh, that's weird," he mumbled, keeping his eyes to the ground as they walked through the downy drifts. Somewhere at the peak of this mountain would be a temple and Link marched briskly up the slopes towards his end goal. Nothing would keep him from reaching the summit; not storms or monsters or… a snowball? The blond spun around to face his boyfriend who stood there, arms behind his back, staring back innocently and yet sporting the guiltiest grin in Termina.

"You know, Dark," Link began patiently, "You have a terrible poker face," he pointed out. Dark just shrugged and grinned again; kicking flurries of snow up into the air as he danced past, spinning in circles and throwing his head back, laughing to the sky.

Smirking, Link just shook his head and enjoyed the moment before acting, "Oh Dark…"

"Hm?" Dark turned around to catch a face full of snow. Slowly and with a little more drama than necessary, he wiped the snow from his eyes then pounced. The sudden attack knocked Link to the ground and the two wrestled around, churning up snow until Dark lay pinned to the ground. '_Wait a minute, how did that happen?_" he wondered to himself. He'd started to say it out loud when Link leaned down, catching his lips in a short kiss.

For a moment, Dark just blinked in surprise. Since when had Link gotten so spontaneous… or romantic for that matter? He tried to get up close enough to kiss his lover again but as usual, Link pulled away with a small smile playing on his lips, "Come on Dark, we really do have to hurry," and Dark had no choice but to follow obediently, albeit frustrated.

A short way up the pass, far enough that Clock Town was no longer visible on the horizon, they came to a wall of giant snowballs blocking the narrow pass leading up the mountain. "Well this isn't helpful," Dark grumbled, pulling handfuls of snow out of the large mounds but a thick shell of ice covering it ensured that little progress was made.

"It says here that Gorons are strong enough to break through," Link read from a small wooden sign, conveniently placed by the avalanched pass."

For a moment, Dark questioned why there would be such a sign sitting there to tell travelers to go find a Goron, but decided better of it. Stranger signs had been found in stranger places after all. "Yeah, well that doesn't help us at all since we don't have a Goron. There's gotta be some way of getting past here. Maybe I could throw you up there, or we could pole-vault or something…"

And as Dark paced back and forth trying to figure out a clever way past this obstacle, Link marched up with the Blast Mask covering his face. Before he could say anything, the mask activated with a crack and boom; the resulting explosion blasted through the frozen walls of snow. The once impassible wall was now little more that a puddle of slush. But the destructive force took a toll on the one wielding it as well. Dark's arms supporting him from behind were all that kept Link from collapsing. "What did I tell you about using that mask?"

But Link ignored Dark's concerns about his safety just as he ignored the stinging powder burns covering his arms. Taking one step forward, than another, the Kokiri stumbled his way through the snow. Something about quests had always seemed to eat at the boy's attention but this one was different; this one was personal. Even though the quest itself was for the fate of everyone in Termina, deep down, Link knew that he was in it for purely selfish reasons. This was for Dark and no one else, and no one else would get in the way of that quest, not even Dark himself. And for once, he didn't even try. He just sighed and moved up to help support his partner, muttering all the while about stubborn kids getting themselves sick.

Initially, going in and playing in the snow had been fun. Ten minutes later, any memory of fun was long gone as the temperature continued to drop along with the heroes spirits. Still, cold as it was, at least the landscaping was pretty. Rows of evergreen trees dotted the narrow path leading up into the mountains, frosted over with loads of thick, fluffy snow like iced ornaments on a giant cake. The snowy floor of the mountain trail was even complete with the normal imperfections that went along with a cake; ahead, the trail of virgin snow stretched out unbroken into the distance but behind, the footprints of the two boys proved to be painfully obvious, like when an unruly child sticks a finger into the cake icing. If they focused on something like the trees, it somehow became easier to forget the cold and so concerned were they with putting one foot in front of the other, they came upon settlement without even realizing it.

Seemingly out of nowhere, (simply because they hadn't been paying attention) a small log cabin appeared amidst the snow in a small clearing of the mountains. The narrow path split east and west around a small lake at the bottom of a high cliff. Gusts of wind continually rushed over the top of the cliff, resulting in piles of snow falling randomly from the sky. Still, Dark didn't care about the scenery anymore or which way to go. He ran towards the quaint little mountain cabin, picking his legs up as he went since the snow was up to his knees by this point. "Well… I suppose we can afford a small break," Link conceded through chattering teeth. Dark hadn't even had to argue for it!

As soon as the two boys were inside, they promptly shut the door and flopped down on the ground. In the back of the building, a roaring forge fire kept the cabin more than a little on the warm side. But just when color was starting to return to the heroes face, he looked up and paled once more. A giant, hulking creature whose head barely missed scraping the ceiling stood over them with a giant iron hammer. "Oh my goddess, are you really that cruel?" Link whispered half to himself. The giant let out a roar, pounding a fist against its muscled grey pectorals but it was the next sound that surprised the newcomers.

"_Oh! Welcome to the Mountain Smithy, where we take our time to make a good point. I am Zubora, the owner. Pleased to meet you._"

The boys looked up from their sprawled heap on the floor to look at the short little terminian man lounging on a couch against the wall. He wasn't very tall to begin with and compounded with the hammer-wielding giant, missing his presence was more than understandable.

"Uhm… I'm… Link. And this is Dark." Link kept a close eye on the iron colored giant who was now busy brewing a pot of coffee. We were just passing through on our way to the Goron Village and it is _very_ cold outside. You don't mind if we warm up for a bit, do you?"

Zubora leaned back, kicking his legs up on the arm of the sofa so that his blue and white stripped hat shaded his eyes from the flicker of the forge flames. "No, not at all. So, you boys are twins, huh?" he asked with the casual attempt to make small talk.

Smirking, Dark jumped in before his partner could say anything and answered, "Twins? No, what are you talking about, we look nothing alike!"

Completely ignoring the sarcasm, as the two boys were clearly almost identical except for their coloring, Zubora pushed his hat up to glance at them and respond without missing a bit, "Of course not sir, you'll have to forgive me, I'm still waking up. Would either of you fine gentlemen like your swords sharpened? We'll have them at razors edge in no time for only one hundred rupees.

Having never had his sword sharpened in Termina, Link had o idea if this was a good price or not, still, at hearing the asking price, his eyebrows vanished beneath his dirty blond bangs. "One hundred? I don't think so. An acquaintance of ours in Goron Village can do it for half the price and Gorons are known for top quality work. Speaking of which, we'd better be on our way. Come along Dark."

Seeing a potential customer about to walk out the door, the smithy owner nearly fell off his couch, "Wait a minute! I-I'll do it for forty…"

A short twenty minutes later, they walked out of the mountain smithy warm and contented. "Y'know… that was pretty sneaky of you in there," Dark commented, sounding impressed in spite of himself. Link just shrugged, testing the edge of his blade. Having seen the work, one hundred rupees wasn't as exorbitant a price as he'd initially thought, still…

"Dark, you do know that I was off adventuring on my own before I met you and I did just fine, don't you? I'm not completely helpless; you and I just have different talents." Link explained, walking to the edge of the smithy porch and, with a quiet sigh of resignation to his fate, dropped into the knee deep snow once more. At least the narrow trail, with rock walls little more than an arm span apart kept the cold nice and even and easy to ignore. The real problem came at the top of that trail. Trudging through the snow and trying not to think about his current state, Link was suddenly and painfully ripped from his thoughts by the howl of frigid wind piercing easily through his tunic. The icy bite ravaged his body mercilessly, sucking the feeling from his fingers and bringing on a headache from the cold in his ears. Gasping at the sudden, totally unwelcome feel was a mistake as he soon found for the air was so cold it hurt to breathe and already, the boy's lungs shrank away from the bitter cold.

Looking up, the narrow trail that had shielded them from the wind broadened out into a snow covered plateau. Through the dull gloom, several large hills connected to wooden bridges out in the center of a solid block of ice that was a frozen lake. "M-m-maybe we're a-almost th-there," he called hopefully over his shoulder as he hurried towards the first bridge, though he missed the response as he covered his ears with his hands, and while it did warm his ears marginally, it left his fingers completely numb and that couldn't be a good sign.

Teeth chattering, he scurried his way across the bridge. The first of the islands in the frozen lake was totally barren, with no shelter at all to break the heavy gusts rushing across the lake's surface. Out there was the worst it had been so far. The howling wind cut across the exposed flesh of his legs and arms, and it spurred him into an all-out sprint across the rest of the valley past the few windswept evergreen trees that dotted the small islands.

Just as he reached the final bridge, a flash of pain burst in his right arm. From his position in the back, Dark saw the sudden gleam of blood dripping from the claws of a perfectly camouflaged White Wolfos. "Oh hell no," he growled, whipping his blade from its sheathe. A single howl of pain faded into the wind and the only thing to let any other travelers know that the Wolfos had ever been was the blood stained snow beneath its corpse.

A few seconds of jogging and he'd caught up to his partner. "Are you alright? Do you need to stop and rest?" Dark frowned at the blood dripping from the tips of the blond's fingers from the three red furrows raked through his arm, but stubborn as ever, Link shook his head, despite the light sheen of sweat on his forehead. "You sure? It's really not good to leave it bleeding like that."

As usual though, Link ignored the concern directed at him. "I'll be fine; I can see Goron Village off in the distance…"

Sadly though, Goron Village wasn't quite the busting metropolis either of them had expected. Snowy ramps spiraled around the thick, earthen buildings that made up the village, but not a single Goron was visible through the ever thickening fall of snow. "This… is a village?" Dark asked dubiously.

Indeed, aside from a single large snowball rolling down the ramp, the village looked deserted. At least the wind in the village was noticeably died down. They wandered down the ramps, winding around the outside of the building and on the far side of the village, the sight before their eyes prompted some admiration, despite the bitter cold. The Goron Village lay situated on the edge of a cliff. Here, finally some sunlight shown through, making the falling snow sparkle and glitter all the way down into the black abyss stretching infinitely towards the horizon. The only land feature, a small ice grotto sat on a pillar out in the middle of the great canyon with no visible way to get there. "I'm curious about that," Link noted, glancing at the lonely little island, then down at his arm," but I need to get inside before my cut freezes over.

A single building, secluded from the rest of the world with no feasible way to get to it? "My treasure hunting sense is tingling." Link frowned, tightening the grip on his bleeding wound. "That will have to wait though. I wonder where the front door is..."

Another lap around the building in a downward spiral and the question was answered. A single, shivering Goron guard sat by the front door and upon seeing two weary travelers, he smiled. This was proof that his sitting out in the miserable cold was not in vain. "O-o-oh, v-v-visitors, p-p-please come ins-side!" Without any further ado, the short, squat brown creature curled into a ball, popped into the air and slammed back down. A few short seconds later, the heavy stone slab covering the entrance rose out of the way to allow entry.

Once inside, the door slammed shut and the Goron from outside rolled away from the door to sit up and start rubbing warmth back into his arms. Though being inside eliminated the snow and wind, it was still nowhere near a comfortable temperature. The stone dome stayed cold enough for the two boys to see every breath mist over. "We don't get many visitors here in winter... What brings you all the way out here?"

Dark stepped up with an answer, "We're just passing through. My friend is injured and we were hoping for some supplies." Apparently, the general store was conveniently located very close to the front entrance. Not that there were many other places to go; most of the building was hollowed out into some kind of ceremonial area. Groups of torches decorated the area beneath some kind of tribal statue on a raised dais in the center while a ramp curved around the outside up to a second floor. The general store lay tucked off in a small underground alcove off to the left from the entrance.

They passed the hanging red banners that marked the entrance of the shop and right away, Dark cocked his head to the side. "Hey Link? Why do they always play this music in stores?"

Sighing, Link just sighed and shrugged his good shoulder, "It's one of those things in our world you learn not to question."

"Oh! You mean like the signs in weird places?"

Link nodded and they sat down to count out the money they had left and what they came up with wasn't much. "Forty rupees... I wonder if that'll be enough for some extra clothes..."

Back in Hyrule the season was early autumn and the leaves had just started noticeably changing color. It had been cool, yes, but not cold and nowhere close to snow season yet. While his thick green tunic was more than enough to handle the autumn breezes, it was _not_ meant to try and combat sub-zero temperatures.

"Well I know what we're doing first," Dark stated firmly and marched up to the counter, returning a moment later with a small roll of white linen and sat down. Link turned his head away while Dark gently wrapped the claw marks in his arms with the makeshift bandage. While it hurt, the blond took the medical treatment stoically, only wincing when Dark tied the knot. "Now we can look for clothes."

The two heroes went their separate ways, looking through the clothes stacked neatly on stone shelves. Humming quietly to himself, Link picked out a few items that looked good and headed back to a small alcove with a hanging curtain that was meant to be used as a changing room. Pulling the curtain closed, he took a seat to tug his boots off and massage his freezing toes, "I hope I don't lose any of them." Indeed, the distinct lack of feeling in his outer extremities had the hero very concerned, but a few minutes of vigorous rubbing and the feeling slowly started to come back.

His heavy leather belt dropped to the ground and he was in the middle of tugging the tunic over his head when the door curtain fluttered. "Dark, what are y-ah! Nnh"

Link's startled cry devolved into a quiet moan at the cool touch tracing down his stomach and the warm lips on his neck, "No, not here,"

"Yes here," a breathy voice whispered in his ear, " We're safe, warm...ish and no one needs saving. You said..."

With just a little difficulty, Link got his partner away, leaving both of them panting. "No Dark... I want to, believe me, I do but ... this just isn't the place."

About ten minutes later, they exited the shop, sporting red pants, jackets and gloves, since that was the predominant color offered by Gorons. "I look like a holiday mascot," Link grumbled, straightening his festive red and green outfit.

"Too bad for you cause I look pretty damn hot," Dark replied smugly, running a hand down his red striped black leather pants. Surprisingly, Link smiled and nodded slowly.

"Yes you do... If only we weren't in public, I'd get you out of those pants and..." He stepped up behind Dark, wrapping his arms around the boy's neck to whisper in his ear.

The shopkeeper got to watch the normally pale swordsman's face heat until it matched his clothes. "Damn... that sounds so hot..."

Link just smirked and walked off, leaving Dark drooling, eyes glued to the boy's ass.

Out in the main plaza, a shrill cry broke the peaceful silence and all the Gorons standing around sighed and covered their ears to try and block out the sound. When the sound didn't stop for several minutes, Link finally marched up to one of the residents to figure out what was going on.

"The elder's son just woke up and found out that his father left. No one else can make him stop crying... Guess no one here is getting any sleep," the Goron answered mournfully. The incessant screams of 'Daddy!" made staying in the building extremely unattractive. Surely there would be other Gorons out there, right?

The stone slab door slammed shut behind them hard enough to knock over the pile of snow gathered around the building in several miniature avalanches. "Well… doesn't exactly make ya feel welcome, huh?" Dark noted, arms crossed with an air of casual dismissal. Link nodded, ignoring how his boyfriend was still pouting from not getting any in the changing room. Of course Dark wasn't really serious about it and besides, there were other important things to worry about, like the allure of treasure.

Right now Snowhead beckoned but a second look surely couldn't hurt or so he thought, but as usual, trouble decided to swoop in and snatch the boy up as soon as he'd finished the thought. In this case, the snatching up was a little more literal than normal. A sense of rising panic gripped tighter than whatever it was that kept his arms immobile and unable to reach his weapon.

Dark heard the startled yelp and rushed around the corner to see Kaepora Gaebora flapping into the sky with his partner. "One of these days, I'm gonna kill that owl," Dark growled to himself, and part of him even meant it. Seeing something potentially bad befall the one valuable person in his life evoked in him a primal, vicious protective instinct to completely destroy whatever it was threatening his partner. Groaning, he fought back the pounding in the back of his skull. "This is important… Just trust him to know what he's doing," Dark chanted to himself and slowly, his base instincts subsided.

Meanwhile, high above, Link shivered as he was dropped none too gracefully into the snow mound atop the central Goron building. He'd only been dry for a few minutes and already there was snow down his boots again. "What do you want Kaepora? I don't mean to be rude but it is rather chilly."

Immediately he regretted speaking as the stern gaze of the owl pinned him to the ground. "I gave you a warning. Are you still willing to change the fate of this land, even knowing the cost?"

The owl sage had always seemed to Link to be one of the obstacles laid down by the Goddesses to make sure a Hero had what it took to be a Hero. Even though he only talked and asked questions, he was still far from the easiest. Something made the heavy hoots of counsel powerful and that dark brown gaze, peering into the very soul could weather the strongest temperament and crumble the hardest resolve. Twice Link himself had nearly buckled beneath that stare and while he _couldn't_ look away, that was the point; it was a test to see if the hero in question could find the strength within himself. This time it was there, the will to move forward with no hesitation. Link met the owl's tawny stare with a steady, unfaltering gaze of his own. "In Woodfall Swamp, you said that Dark would probably die. Therefore, it isn't a foregone conclusion. It's something that can be affected and therefore changed. I'm not giving up on Termina but I _won't_ let him die."

Kaepora fluffed his feathers out, leaning so close that the Kokiri could smell the blood of small woodland creatures that'd fallen to the owl's talons. "A doom lies upon this land and it will be satisfied whether everyone shares the burden equally or it falls all upon one person. Of all the futures I have foreseen, there is only one where your shadow lives. You would sacrifice another to save someone who was never meant to be here in the first place? Think of the friends you've made."

Unbidden, the thoughts of the people he'd met flooded into his mind and Link saw images clearly as if he were standing right there. Anju lying spread eagle in the kitchen of her inn, staring vacantly at the ceiling. Jim, the leader of the Bombers Gang, face down in a pool of mud tinged red with the blood seeping through his white shirt. The frazzled white bun and a single hand of one of the witches stretched out of the mud of the Southern Swamp, trying desperately to grasp onto freedom. Honey sobbed over Darling's lifeless body and the broken form of the blind banker girl sprawled across her table. Suddenly, everyone in Clock town was dead and their empty eyes seemed to cast accusations at the one person who could have stopped this. Every face echoed the same sentiment and he could almost hear voices drifting on the dying breaths of the people watching him, each one asking, accusing, "Why didn't you save me?"

Just as quickly as it had appeared, the vision was gone and he was left feeling colder inside than all the snow and ice around him. "Would you truly sacrifice someone and force them to bear the weight of this doom?"

Without breaking eye contact, Link reached into his tunic and held up the Ocarina of Time. "That is in the future and the future is mine to determine. I will find a way to save everyone." Link gripped the instrument tighter, feeling the full weight of his oath settle upon his shoulders. "Such is the duty of a hero."

The owl blinked and the tension was broken. "How to journey is up to you. I am only here to make sure that you can make the journey, and perhaps you do have what it takes to change the fate of this land. I will tell you to be careful of using your power over time. I have noticed the ripples and if I have, than others might as well, others who aren't so friendly. Follow me and I will lead you to that grotto. Its contents will help you on your way. Oh, and one last thing, Hero. Do not overestimate your own abilities or it will come to pass that no matter how you bend time, you will not be able to save the one you love." And with those cryptic words, the Owl took to the air once more.

At the foot of the building, Dark wandered through a trench worn his pacing back and forth. It soon became evident that trying to eavesdrop wasn't possible due to the wind roaring in his ears so Dark contented himself with walking, if nothing else just to keep his blood pumping.

Link dropped to the ground, letting the large fluffy piles cushion his fall. Dark reached the end of his trench and turned just in time to see Link fall and make a human shaped indent. "Cold!" Link yelped, pushing himself out of the snow and briskly dusting himself off. No sooner was he clean of snow then Dark pulled him into a tight hug.

"You gotta stop doing that to me. I worry."

Link sighed, indulging in the added warmth of his partner's body heat for just a moment, "I'm sorry. He took me by surprise, that's all. Come on, we have work to do."

Up in the sky, Kaepora Gaebora glided slowly along the wind currents over the abyss, shedding feathers with every flap of his wings. Wading through the snow wasn't too hard now that he knew what he was doing, though his toes curled away from the snow that occupied his boots as a result. And standing at the edge of the chasm, he saw what he needed to see.

Scanning the sky for any bit of useful information on how to cross, his dark blue eyes locked onto the answer. "The feathers…" Every gust of wind tossed the tawny owl feathers in one direction or another but some of them just seemed to be hovering in midair. Curious, Link packed a snowball together and tossed it at where one of the feathers sat suspended in midair. The snowball broke apart, leaving a powdery spray just laying there in the air. "I see. Here is the answer Dark," and with that, he jumped.

Dark's eye widened as he watched Link jump for an entire heart-stopping instant, but the boy was fine, even though beneath his boots was nothing at all. "I'm going to kill that fucking bird! Why couldn't he just carry you to the other side!" Dark screamed, infuriated by how the owl sage seemed to enjoy playing god with both of their lives.

The view had Link feeling a little nervous as he looked down into the black abyss waiting to swallow him, but a few taps with the toe of his boots confirmed that, despite appearances, he was indeed on something solid. "Come now Dark, that wouldn't be very heroic of me, now would it? Toss me another snowball would you?"

He wasn't happy about it but Dark complied and with this makeshift system in place, they made their way across the invisible platforms. As soon as they walked across the threshold of the little grotto, the bitter cold simply and suddenly vanished. Not a single flake of snow could be seen inside the simple cave nor did even a ghost of a whisper of wind stir the dry air.

The entire grotto consisted of a single, round chamber ringed with rough stone pillars surrounding a single treasure chest in the center. Of course, the usual, atypical weed tufts also decorated the packed dirt floor and a single, pallid ray of light illuminated the box in the middle of the room. "Is it just me or does this smell like a trap," Dark murmured uneasily.

"I agree, this is too easy. Rule number one of adventuring; never assume things to be as easy as they look," Link said, pulling his sword from its sheath. "We'll just have to be careful."

He managed to take all of two steps before meeting a hard impact with the wall, but there was nothing there. Dark pulled his sword out, ears perked, and waited. A quiet, grinding sound met his ears and, put together with the entrance trial equaled the answer. "Yeah, I know that sound. You sound like a skultula, and that means you're not going anywhere, right?"

_Chhhckkkk_

"I didn't think so."

A single step into a diagonal downward slash and the two halves of the giant spider dropped to the ground, suddenly visible. With the threat dead, Dark dropped to the ground by his partner. "Are you ok? Do we need to stop and rest?"

The boy groaned, knowing he was probably turning purple beneath his green. "No, no, I'm fine," he gasped, getting slowly to his feet. "Just knocked the wind out of me, that's all."

Of course, being the hero meant that he was always going to downplay his own injuries. In truth, his ribs ached horribly but there simply wasn't any time to waste, not with Kaepora Gaebora's warning that resetting time might draw unfriendly attention.

Many tentative steps and a few minutes full of blind swings into the air and they'd reached the treasure box. Link kicked the box open and removed a very familiar treasure. The purple tinted lens set into a spiked frame was designed to resemble the sign of the Sheikah. "The Eye of Truth… I know I burned it trying to save you that night."

They both remembered that night, so long ago in a different time, in a different world but rarely spoke of it, even though it remained the most important day of both their lives. The fact remained that they only remained together from a loophole and that was not a thought either wished to dwell on.

"The rest of the room is safe," Link noted after scanning it through the eye, partly just to change the subject to something a little less painful. Dark nodded and wandered around, slashing through the large tufts of grass that surrounded the treasure box.

"How is there grass growing when it's like… totally anti-life outside?" Dark asked curiously. After all, there was no way that the inhospitable environment outside would allow it to live.

Link wandered off in between the pillars to pillage a red rupee from a small invisible chest. Normally, with treasures like this, there would be a box nearby to demonstrate how said treasure was meant to be used but in this case, Link found the lesson a little redundant. Still, he wasn't about to say no to free money. "Mmm… It's not cold in here. It's actually a very welcome break from being out there but alas, we have a job to do and today is the last day we have to do it."

To the Eye of Truth, the invisible platforms simply became platforms and as a result, the jump back to solid ground was much shorter on the return trip. They got back to the village and Dark set off. He got a few steps then turned around to see his partner staring off into the empty streets at something. "Uhm… Link? What'cha staring at?"

"The ghost of a Goron," he whispered back, handing the lens over so Dark could see it too. Lo and behold, a wispy phantom in the form of a large Goron warrior levitated a foot off the ground. Obviously, the Goron was dead since the manner of his death had carried over to his ghostly form; a long, jagged scar traveled from his lower stomach up to his shoulder.

"_You… can see me?"_

"Not me, he can!" Dark said quickly, tossing the magic lens back to Link, who just shook his head and held up the enchanted eye. Of all the things for Dark to be afraid of, this had to be one of the more unusual. They'd seen ghosts semi-frequently in their travels. He'd just have to remember to ask about it later.

"_Oh thank heavens, I've been wandering around for days but no one pays me any notice. If you can see me, then I have a favor to ask of you. First though, follow me…" _

The ghost set off floating through the streets of the village and Link followed after him without a second thought. "Hey Link, where are we going?"

"We are following the ghost," the blond replied. At the thought that they were just blindly trusting some long dead Goron, Dark's apprehension surfaced a little more strongly.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? What if it's a trap?" Dark asked as they passed through the top entrance of Goron Village and back out into the untamed wilds beyond. Without the shelter of stone walls, the icy gales drowned out any possibility for conversation and Link wouldn't have answered regardless. The ghostly Goron was actually moving fairly quickly across the wooden bridges and the brisk pace left the Kokiri short of breath from the ache in his bruised ribs, and the frigid air filling his lungs with every gasping breath didn't help any.

Unable to catch his breath, every step was a struggle against both his own limitations and the heavy gusts of wind, battering the boys to the sides like physical blows. Onwards they moved, eventually reaching the safety of the high rock walls at the other end of the frozen plateau. Down the path a short ways, giant piles of snow mounded right up to the sloping roof of the Mountain Smithy, but there was no time to dwell on how nice it would be to stay inside for a little bit, perhaps enjoy a cup of coffee, no matter how nice it would be. The Goron spirit had stopped to wait for them to cross the tundra but now he moved again, floating across the small frozen pond and straight up the stone cliffs to a snowy ledge high above. Under normal circumstance, the sheer face of the rock wall would have been unclimbable but the Lens of Truth revealed a set of dark iron bars moving up the bluff like a ladder. Half way up, the rungs split, turning the single ladder into a maze of ladders.

"Right, left, right, right, left, right," Link noted to himself aloud for the ladder intersections he'd have to take." Dark's boots crunched through the snow, announcing his approach. "There is an invisible ladder and we've got to get up there!" Link explained, resolutely squaring his shoulders, but beneath that resolve, Dark saw a shadow of something else, something that left him feeling uneasy.

The base of the cliff lay across a partially frozen pool of water. Dense icebergs floated throughout the pond while slush covered the semi-frozen edges. "Link, are you sure you should be doing this? You don't look so good…"

But Link just shrugged it off, "You're afraid of the ghost? Come now Dark, we have too many other important things to do," and without even waiting for a response, he jumped, staying low to the ground as he slid across the first iceberg. Every jump sent shudders through the fragile structures, making them teeter precariously. The last one sank back into the water, tilting almost to the point of flipping upside down. Skidding across the ice, Link threw himself off the top to catch onto the ladder and keep climbing as thought it had all been planned. And perhaps it had.

Dark on the other hand, took things a little more slowly, not wanting to run the risk of slipping and taking a cold bath in the brisk mountain air and by the time he reached the base of the cliff, Link was already a good distance up the cliff, but moving a little more slowly. In truth, the blue eyed teen was exhausted. Having to reach up to grab the next rung made his chest ache and on top of that, constant use of the Eye of Truth was beginning to tax his limited reserves of magic. Under the additional strain on his already exhausted body, he could feel his muscles starting to fail.

'_No… I have to keep going. I haven't the time to stop… Please, Farore, give me strength._'

Maybe it was an answer to his prayer, his own grim determination or a combination thereof but he managed to hold his grip. '_One rung at a time, one rung at a time," _Over and over he repeated it in his head like a mantra and eventually found himself laying on his back at the top of the precipice.

However, the invisible ladder rungs were a little more difficult for Dark to find. Watching the path Link had taken helped somewhat but he still found himself running the rough stone wall, searching for rungs. "Damn it… This is ridiculous," Dark growled, finally hauling himself up to the top. "Who does he think he is, just leaving me there to make my way alone like that?"

But Link wasn't there to answer. Instead, the mouth of a cave lay waiting to swallow any who entered. Bracing himself for whatever trap he was probably walking right into, Dark wandered inside to see what trouble his partner had gotten into.

A few feet through the door, a wave of heat hit him, sending Dark staggering back a few steps just from the surprise. "Damn… Someone needs to fix the weather around here. It's hot then it's cold, it's yes then it's no," he grumbled, irritably. So far, the mountains had done little for his mood.

The cave turned out to be just another rough, circular chamber, but this one had gouts of steam shooting out of the floor every so often, leaving condensation covering the dark red rocks of the cavern. A carved stone obelisk adorned the center like some kind of memorial and walking up behind Link, he saw that was indeed what it was.

"Here lies Darmani, Great hero of the Gorons. Apparently Snowhead is east of here. It's the temple that controls the weather. Darmani went there to see if he could set the seasons right but was killed by the Temple guardian, Goht. He wants us to avenge his death," Link explained, and then to the ghost hovering before him, "Don't worry Darmani, we'll take care of everything."

The simple explanation had Dark shaking his head wearily. "Yeah, fine, whatever. I guess it doesn't' matter since that's what we're here to do anyways but it's nice of you to volunteer to solve everyone's problems besides your own."

"Like you promised to find Anju's fiancé?" Link snapped back. "Don't criticize me Dark."

The harsh response left Dark stunned for a moment. Something was definitely going on that Link wasn't telling him. "Yeah, and? It's not like that's all that big of a deal. We've got all the time in the world to find-"

"No we don't! We don't have time to waste and acting like we do is how we get into messes that we can't fix by ourselves!"

Link sighed, reaching into his tunic pocket and soon the soothing melody of the Song of Healing filled the awkward silence. A bright flash of light and Link was left with a mask resembling the fallen Goron.

Tentatively, Dark stepped forward to try and find some kind of resolution to their little dilemma. "Link… there's something bothering you isn't there? Why don't you tell me what's really on your mind?"

Sighing again, the blond's head dropped, bowed by the weight of the world upon him. "I just… I'm doing everything I can to make this work and I'm getting a little overwhelmed," he finally admitted. Sure, they had a general idea of where the problem was but at the end of the day, they were just two teenage boys fighting against the full might of a natural disaster. A gust of wind echoed through the cave mouth like a taunting laugh, waiting for the challengers to gather enough strength to brave the ice once more.


	10. Hot Spring

_**AN: I know, I know, it's been a long time but this was a very difficult chapter for me to do and I have no idea why. But it's done. I also have 9 pages of the next chapter done so that will be out very very soon. Review and let me know that you haven't all abandoned me! And! Fair warning to anyone who doesn't want to see it, there is sex in this chapter. Which is also why I need reviews, doing a good sex scene ain't easy y'know. **_

So far, whenever he'd gotten a new mask, Link's first inclination had been to try it out. After all, one couldn't use a tool effectively unless they knew how it worked. Never mind the fact that it was an opportunity to play with a new toy, no, it was all business. Really.

There had been one exception to this rule and that had been the Great Fairy's Mask, partially due to the fact that there hadn't been any fairies to collect and partly because he knew that putting on that mask would make him look like a complete moron.

Still, Link could feel the latent power resonating within the wood as he slowly lifted the mask to his face. At first it just felt sticky, as though the rough wood wanted to adhere to his face. The magic spread, covering his body and expanding it. His insides swelled to the point of bursting out of his skin.

Link couldn't remember if he screamed or not, and all he could see in his mind was his stomach tearing open and spewing blood across the cave. Then it was over and instead of blood dripping down his front he felt rock; hard solid rock. And it wasn't just hard, it was round too. "Ugh... I feel fat," he groaned in a deep gravelly voice, stumbling around as his mind tried to get used to this new, unfamiliar body. One misstep and he stumbled into stone pillar in the middle of the room. The impact knocked the rock out of the way revealing a grate underneath that flooded the shallow domed floor with steaming hot water.

Back pressed against a wall, Dark witnessed both the transformation and the blood curdling scream that preceded it, as well as having his partner replaced with what looked like a rough statue of a Goron hewn of jagged bits of rock. A shell of earthen spikes covered his outer carapace while a mane of white hair and a spiky beard of the same color hung down towards his distended stomach. "Well... if it makes you feel any better, you are fat," Dark offered, though it didn't make the situation any less unpleasant for the new Goron. "And what's with the water?"

Standing silent for a moment, Link listened to the fading voice of Darmani in his head offer a few tips for using this new body, some things to know about the mountains as well as an idea of the foe that awaited them. "Apparently… there is a hot spring here," Link answered, then immediately covered his mouth, silently horrified that that low, gravelly voice was his

Tapping his chin for a few moments, Link dug the glass bottle that he'd gotten from the witches, Koume and Kotake. There wasn't anything in it but even had it held red potion, he'd have given it a second thought to dumping it out to bring hot water with. The thought of going out and facing the possibility of frostbite was not one the Hero particularly wanted to dwell on, especially knowing that, in the end, he'd never give up a precious potion for some simple water no matter how much he'd prefer the warmth. The fates had taught well the lesson that anything that could go wrong would go wrong. They'd also shown on several occasions that if he anticipated something to go wrong and planned to prevent it, that something totally unforeseen (and worse than what he'd planned for) would happen instead.

Fortunately, since the bottle was empty, there would be no such debate. Filling the bottle with water and pushing the cork into the opening, he hissed, tossing it between his hands. The heated glass on his freezing fingers made the hot water feel even hotter, scalding the numb flesh for just a few seconds before it disappeared into the pocket of his tunic. The several layers of cloth between the hot glass and his chest made the heat comfortable. Dark just eyed the little game of hot potato with a quiet snort of amusement

It was, of course, only the fact that they were not really in public that allowed the blonde to act in a more carefree way. Not for the first time, Dark reflected on the irony that Link would never do something so silly in the view of other people because it could damage his reputation. But then again... Perhaps the wall he'd built to hide from the rest of the world was slowly starting to come down. The simple blue ring hanging from Link's ear was evidence to that. Besides, he'd slipped a few times and forgotten not to smile, like that day in the rain...

"Ready to go?" Link asked hesitantly, pulling Dark from his daydream. Neither of them really wanted to go back outside but it had to be done. Squaring his shoulders, Dark marched back outside to peer over the edge of the cliff. After having rested in the cave, Link climbed over the edge, gripping the frosted metal bars set into the cliff side. Just three rungs down, Link looked up to see if Dark was following, and indeed he was. His heart nearly stopped as he watched his partner go sailing through the air until gravity got a hold of him, sending him hurtling towards the ground far below. "Dark!"

Link's fingers loosened and he dropped as well, but grabbed back onto the bottom rung of his ladder, moved over to stay on track and dropped another several feet, reaching the ground quickly in a series of short drops while his startled scream continued to rise to the highest icy peaks. He hit the snow running, jumping recklessly across the floating icebergs that made the icy lake traversable.

In the deep mound of snow near the Mountain Smithy lay a hole perfectly shaped like Dark's body. A moment later the indent collapsed in on itself when Dark climbed out in a cloud of fluffy white destruction and one quick shake divested the boy of his festive coating. "That was awesome!" Dark chirped, still hyped on the adrenaline rushing through his veins after the impromptu skydiving session. Grinning was perhaps the worst thing Dark could have done, for the fist smashing into his jaw sent him careening back into the snow pile to make a second human shaped hole.

"What in the names of the Three Golden Goddesses were you thinking!" Link growled, but the upcoming reprimand about his partner's recklessness was cut off but a sharp, resounding crack from the soaring peaks of the Snowhead mountain range. At first it started off as just a small, harmless shower of snow sliding down the slopes, but the boy's eyes widened as they witnessed just how quickly it gained speed and power. "I think it might be smart to-"

"Get the hell out of Dodge," Dark finished helpfully, turning and sprinting back towards Goron Village with the blond at his side. They exited out into the gorge, dashing across the swinging, ice crusted rope bridges, heedless of their surroundings. If the wind had been howling before, now it was in an all out snarl, slashing claws of wind at the boys running for dear life from the ever growing wall of snow rushing down the mountainside. They knew better than to look back but they could hear it coming closer, the deep grinding rumble growing ever louder.

The icy planks, the wind, the howling wolfos right behind them, none of it could be spared any attention. Link only managed to avoid the claws of one such lupine monster only because the red inside its mouth gave it away, giving enough warning to zigzag out of the way. And just when it seemed they'd make it to safety, the ground gave way beneath Link's left foot, his boot punching straight through a shell of snow and ice covering a hole in the ground. The shell of ice, disturbed by the force of his weight shifted sideways, effectively trapping his leg. "Dark!"

Hearing his name, Dark spun around to catch sight of Link's hopeless predicament. He also caught sight of the Wolfos advancing on the downed prey as well as the massive waves of snow rushing down into the ravine with frightening velocity. Rolling his eyes, Dark ran back across the bridge. The wolf already had its paw back, licking its chops hungrily when the heavy weight of Dark's boots impacting the side of its head sent the wolf skidding off the edge of the raised earthen mounds and into the moat-like below. "Link! You ok!"

"No. I'm stuck," he replied, surprisingly calm, considering the merciless avalanche just a moment behind them. "Thank Nayru I didn't have a red potion," he mumbled to himself, popping the cork out of his glass bottle and dumping the steaming water over the icy plate, wincing at the trails of heat running down and scalding his leg while the ice melted. Dark bit his lip nervously as the first bridge exploded, the wooden planks torn to shreds by the riot of a million snowflakes.

But the heat of the water had weakened the center of the slab of ice and a few sharp blows with the hilt of his sword cracked it in half, allowing Link to drop through the hole, vanishing underground with Dark right behind him and just seconds later, the tumultuous cascade of snow sealed the top of the hole over.

No matter how often it happened, a near death experience was always followed by a moment of silence to thank their goddesses as well as catch their breath, presuming of course that there wasn't another life threatening situation waiting right after said near death experience.

Despite the complete lack of light coming in from outside, the underground chamber still shone with a faint, ever present glow that cast flickering shadows, as though invisible torches dotted the walls. Through the faint, dusky atmosphere, a shallow pool of steaming water could be seen out in the middle of the room. The entire chamber lay under the bridged mound above so it wasn't very large. After a quick scan with his magically enhanced vision to ensure there were no hidden threats lurking in the small underground alcove, Link returned to what his train of thought had been before being rudely interrupted by the avalanche.

"You threw yourself off a cliff," Link pointed out coldly, the ice in his tone unaffected by the haze of steam rising off the waters. The run for dear life had tempered his anger somewhat but Dark could still see it smoldering behind those bright blue eyes and just one wrong word would set it alight once more.

"Yeah? And it was fun too. I know what I'm doing. Can't you have faith in me every once in a while?" Dark asked, strolling farther into the cavern, attempting to sound nonchalant.

It was immediately clear that this was the wrong thing to say from the way the other boy's eyes narrowed to dangerously thin lines, "Fun! You could have died and for what, a cheap adrenaline rush? What if something had gone wrong!"

An avalanche wracks the mountain and all Link could do was go into a lecture? Scowling, Dark scuffed his foot against the ground, trying and failing not to look like an insolent child who'd shirked his chores. "Then you play a song and we just have to do some hiking over again, no big deal."

"Sitting back and watching you die is no big deal? It doesn't matter if I can turn back time, it's horrible of you to even suggest such a thing!" Link yelled, fighting back the violent urge to swing another punch. "Need I remind you that I've had to go through that once already?" His voice took on an even harder edge and a thick coating of venom to boot. "I thought I would lose you and it tore me apart... but that doesn't matter to you, does it? I might as well be doing this alone, stuck up here alone in the middle of a blizzard with no food and no help to go combat some ancient evil that I don't even know where it is! In the condition I'm in, I certainly wouldn't make it. Do you want me to be the one to die just so you can get your kicks?

Dark's eyebrows climbed up into his hair. This wasn't like Link to lose his temper. He'd disapprove but to go flying off the handle like that… "What's really goin' on? What's really bothering you?" he asked quietly.

Link sighed, shoulders slumping forward. Maybe the stress was too much. Maybe it had to do with keeping the secret to himself but for some reason, the desire to let his partner in on the truth was not something he could fend off any longer. "I was afraid I'd lose you…"

Slowly, he began to explain what the Owl Sage had told him about the fate of Termina's people as well as the vision he'd had. When he was finished, Dark let off a low whistle, just trying to wrap his head around such a concept; realizing that his own death could be preordained.

"Well…" he began slowly, "First, I shoulda followed my first instinct to shoot that owl down and stuff it for a fireplace trophy.

Link allowed himself a small smile. "Dark, we don't have a fireplace."

Turning around, the boy unbelted his sword and tossed it to the side with a little more venom than necessary. "I will go out and buy us a house with a fireplace just so I can mount that fucking bird on the wall and then taunt it every day afterwards for being dumb enough to piss me off!" More than anything he just wanted to punch someone! Sadly, the only person available to punch at the moment would have been an extremely inappropriate choice, and so he settled for pulling his partner into a nearly crushing embrace.

"So let me get this straight… Not only is the fate of Termina on your shoulders but _someone _has to die and you have to choose who it is and if you don't, it'll end up being me?" Dark asked incredulously just for clarification and when he received a nod of acknowledgement, sighed. "S'not fair… Why does everyone always expect so much from you? And why didn't you tell me sooner?" He whispered softly, leaning back to look into the deep pools of sadness in Link's eyes. Whenever such a moment arose, it always fascinated him how quickly the blonde could go from being a mighty warrior to a sad, lonely boy looking for some small light of hope in the world.

For several minutes he just stared at the ground, nudging a pebble around with his foot before finally answering, "I guess… I felt like it was my duty to protect you. I'm the only one who can and ever since I met you, I've always felt… I don't know… responsible for you, "he ended, feeling pathetic.

Much as he wanted to say something to lighten the mood, the idea of his almost inexorably drawing closer to death was enough to somber even Dark's usually cheery demeanor. "Well… do you have a plan or something? Just tell me what you need and I'll follow you to the ends of the earth," he stated, voice calm and full of the surety that Link had come to count on when he couldn't find any of his own.

Staring into those deep red eyes and seeing the earnestness glowing behind them, the hesitancy and the obsessive need to rationalize everything simply faded away. Without the tension to hold him together, Link slumped back down into Dark's arms, feeling both vulnerable from the burden of his quest and protected in Dark's arms. "Just… don't scare me like that again."

Not for the first time, Dark felt like kicking himself. To see his partner bowed beneath the weight of his own responsibilities and knowing that this was all because of him had the shadow feeling pretty low. "I'm sorry… All this 'saving the world' crap, we've been here and done this all before. I knew it was hard on you but I didn't stop to think about that. Sorry… I guess I've been a pretty crummy partner, huh?"

"No, not at all, I just worry. I don't know what I'm going to do yet but I won't let you die. I like you too much for that," he added, a small smile gracing his face and that was all it took to ignite a beaming grin on Dark's. Those words were all it took to haul Dark's spirits back up to soaring heights.

For Link, though he could hide it with a smile, his feelings refused to be so cooperative. A feeling of dense apathy spread through the blond's chest as the implication behind Dark's last words sunk in. _'After everything he's done for me, he thinks __**he's**__ not a good partner? What have I done?'_ Not for the first time, Link couldn't help but feel that he hadn't been treating Dark right. In spite of that, there were some things that he still just couldn't get past. _'This is Dark… My faithful partner, always standing at my side. I know I can count on him for anything so… what am I so afraid of?"_

For that question, there was no answer. There never had been, at least not one that Link could find. "Link? What's wrong?" Dark asked, leaning forward. Link had been just sitting there, staring off into space for several minutes with a very serious look on his face. "What're you thinkin' about?"

Link took a slow, deep breath. "I'm thinking that I haven't been treating you well. I know I'm attracted to you and I know that I love you but I still..." He paused, looking for the right words. "I still have a hard time seeing you as more than a partner, even though I want to. I've decided though… this needs to stop. It's not enough for me just to save you, you deserve to be happy. You deserve better than what I've given you. That's why… I want to be the kind of boyfriend you can be proud of. I want to make you happy," he stated quietly, averting his eyes and cursing his inability to hold back a blush.

Shaking his head, Dark smiled again. It was the rare kind of moment that he didn't want to ruin with words, so he just settled for pulling his partner in for another hug. It was something he'd gotten used to doing when he needed some kind of attention because hugs at least didn't make the other boy get skittish.

Pausing, Link counted down the hours left until moon fall as nearly as he could estimate it, making sure that the timing was right, as well as mentally steadying himself for what he was about to do. "Well, as long as we're here, might as well make use of this conveniently placed spring," Link stated, shrugging off his over shirt and kicking off his boots, making Dark chuckle at the oh-so-typical behavior. As soon as the touching, heartfelt moment was over, it was back to work with no time wasted; Which was frustrating because time was one of the few luxuries they had in abundance (or so he thought). Still, Link was taking clothes off which was never a bad thing, except for one thing. "Hey, you're bleeding…"

Frowning, Link looked himself over a few times before finding the injury; several gashes marking the back of his right calf left trails of blood leaking down his foot. "How strange, I don't even feel it," he murmured, dropping his belt and stripping down to the dark green shorts he wore beneath his tunic. Fortunately, the ground was warm against his bare feet, though the rough, sometimes jagged stone kept him from walking too fast to the water's edge where the ground smoothed out. He settled down to wash the blood off his leg, soon finding that the wound looked worse than it actually was.

"You alright?" Dark asked, in the middle of undressing himself when he heard a surprised hiss.

"Yeah… the water is just a little hot," Link mumbled, trying not to look up when he caught himself_, 'Alright, this is it…"_

A moment later, Dark sat down beside him in a similar state of undress, though in his signature color. No sooner did he sit down then Link's lips were on his neck, nipping down towards his collarbone. The unexpected attention pulled a surprised moan from the pale teen. "Nnh… I thought you were… mad at me."

Link considered his answer quietly for a moment, then pointed towards the far wall. "Do you see people over there?"

Of course, aside from the two Hylians, the room was devoid of occupants, leaving Dark understandably confused. At first he thought that maybe Link was talking about some ghosts or perhaps invisible people that he wouldn't be able to see without the Lens of Truth. "Uhm… No? What people?"

"Exactly, there aren't any." Dark tilted his head to the side, prompting further explanation. "We're safe and no one is in danger. I believe I made you a deal under these conditions. I suppose I am still a little upset with you but you know why now and won't be doing anything reckless like that again… right?"

"Right."

"And I need you," Link continued, "I can't do this on my own so holding a grudge would be childish of me. I'd forgive you eventually anyways," he added with a shrug. "In the meantime, I realized that I haven't been a very good boyfriend and I might not have another chance to fix that. From here on, we fight with no regrets."

Biting his lip, Dark couldn't decide whether he was grinning more about Link's upturn in outlook or the fact that he was probably going to be getting laid within the next few minutes. In the end, getting laid won out.

Scooting up next to his partner, Dark twined his fingers through Link's hair, leaning in to catch his lips in a kiss. Responding with enthusiasm, the blond leaned back into the steaming shallows, gently sucking Dark's bottom lip into his mouth, trailing his tongue along the outside. _'It's warm,' _he reflected, vaguely noting how he kind of enjoyed the taste of Dark's flesh. It was the only flavor he could put his tongue on (figuratively speaking).

One of Dark's calloused hands sliding down the front of his shorts put an end to any thinking that might have happened. Moaning quietly, he leaned back, letting his final article of clothing be stripped away leaving himself exposed to the steamy air and his lover's gaze. He was only at half mast but the rough calluses moving slowly over his sensitive flesh had him very quickly hardening. "Ahn… Yes…"

As soon as he was fully hard, Dark was on top of him, rubbing his clothed hips down and letting Link feel the hardness resting inside grinding against his own. A trail of heated kisses blazed its way from his chest up to his neck where a rough and very sexy whisper ordered him, "Roll over. Face down, ass up.

Rolling over onto his hands and knees, Link cast a smoldering glance over his shoulder. Of course, it was just an act. In reality, the boy had no such confidence, but Dark wanted this… and now that they were here, Link couldn't help but find it kind of thrilling. Bowing his head, the boy shut his eyes as a pair of warm, wet hands rubbed over his ass, gently pulling to reveal his hole. '_I hope this doesn't hurt too much,' _he found himself thinking.

Of course he was expecting something to push into his body, but Dark's slick tongue wasn't it. The hot muscle worming its way deeper and deeper inside had him biting back moans. Pulling back, Dark kicked his shorts off, spitting into a hand and giving himself a few good strokes to slick his hardened length. "You're being too quiet," Dark stated, pressing two of his fingers against his partner's entrance and pushing them inside. "You gotta tell me what you like, hun. Does it feel good?"

Biting his lip, the other boy tried to relax his muscles as the fingers dragged in and out of him. "I-It's… It feels… interesting," he stammered, almost surprised to find the tingling sensations in his stomach making his cock twitch. Dark's fingers scissored apart a few times then pulled out, leaving his hand free to swing. The harsh slap against his ass made Link yelp and glare over his shoulder.

Setting his hard cock in position, Dark flashed a grin. "I asked if it feels good," he pointed out and pushed himself forward.

"Auuhh! Slow down," the blond gasped, tensing his muscles against the invading body.

Pushing himself up, Dark laid himself across Link's back to hug him from behind. "Relax… It is gonna hurt for a little while. Spit ain't exactly the best lube y'know," Dark murmured, sliding a hand down to start jerking the blond's dick. Slowly, Link started to relax, moaning and bucking into Dark's hand while Dark continued to push forward until he sat fully sheathed in warm, tight muscle. For a moment, he just waited, letting his partner adjust. "I'm gonna move now."

"Alright, just be –Nngh!" he gasped, choking on his words as Dark pulled halfway out and immediately pushed back in.

"You alright?" Dark asked, leaning down to press light kisses against Link's neck. Of course he hadn't thought that Link would want it rough. He expected Link to want it slow and gentle, which is why he was completely surprised with the response.

"That was good… harder!" he growled through grit teeth. Grinning, Dark pulled his hips back and thrust forward again, pulling another moan from the blond, giving him the go ahead to start moving in earnest.

Link pushed himself back to meet every thrust, panting, dripping sweat and moaning loudly. If he'd had any presence of mind, he might have been embarrassed but at the moment he couldn't summon the will to care. "Nhh, more! It hurts but it feels so good!" he gasped, feeling the raging heat in his belly, the steamy water frothing and swirling around his thighs and the hard cock pounding into his ass. It hadn't been too long but already his cock was hard, aching and leaking precum.

Up on top, Dark was having just as much fun, giving Link's hair a rough tug as he thrust harder. He never would have imagined his serious hero to be such a wild bottom but the boy's ass had greedily swallowed all of Dark's seven and a half inches while the blond begged for more. "Uhn… Fuck, you feel so good," Dark groaned, his balls tightening as they slapped against the blond's ass. "Not gonna last too long," he panted out, tightening his grip on Link's cock.

With the combination of his blushing, the physical activity and the hot water, Link's entire body was glowing red."Nhh… do it… fuck me harder!"

Hearing that, Dark actually slowed down, incredulous. Link had never been one to swear. But if he was… Flashing a mischievous grin, Dark pushed himself up, gripping Link's shoulders. "Wow, someone's quite the cockslut. If you want my cum, you'll have to ask nicely for it," Dark purred, pulling back to again slap the other boy's ass.

"Nngh! Please Dark… Please, fuck me harder. I'm so close!"

"Tell me you like it. Tell me you're my cockslut." Dark whispered, leaning in to bite gently at Link's ear.

"Wha… D-Do I _really_ have…" Link stammered, blushing harder.

"Yes."

Link bit his lip, wondering if he was really ready to sacrifice his dignity like that. The raging hardon between his legs said yes. Sighing, he closed his eyes and gave up the last ofhis dignity. "Please finish pounding me. I'm your… cockslut… and I need your dick!"

"That's better." Fingers dug into Link's hips, holding him still as Dark slammed himself back into Link's body, using short, hard thrusts that were very quickly getting him off. Panting heavily, the blond grabbed his own cock, quickly jerking himself off until he just couldn't take it anymore.

Groaning, Dark lunged forward, sinking his teeth into Link's shoulder as the boy's muscles clamped down, practically ripping the orgasm from his body. Throwing his head back as a trail of blood ran down his shoulder, the blond finally got his release, shooting off his cum even as his partner flooded his ass with it.

Finally, with their adrenaline spent, the pair collapsed in the shallows of the water.

"So... Whatcha think?" Dark asked, pulled his sweat drenched bangs out of his face.

"It was... hot."

For the next ten minutes, they just lay there in the water, cuddled together to enjoy the heat, the companionship and the warmth of the afterglow. Sadly, the peace couldn't last.

A powerful rumbling shook the earth, showering the underground cavern with dust and pebbles. "That doesn't sound good," Dark noted, moving to sit up, but a hand on his chest pulled him back down.

"Don't worry. It's only the moon falling," Link mumbled, both the steamy heat of the hot spring and the recent climax making him sound sleepy. Of course he was tired, sex was exhausting! All the long wanted to do was pass out but, as always, duty called and she couldn't be ignored.

Off to the left, Dark propped himself up on his elbow to give his boyfriend a suspicious look. "What's up with that, huh? How come you're not being all uptight about the moon falling? You _should _be spazzing about how we have work to do."

"Because," Link replied though a yawn," I've been keeping track of the time. I knew the moon would be getting close soon while we were here. I highly doubt we could find and complete the Snowhead Temple in less than half an hour. Besides… I think this was important for us. I wanted to show you that I _am_ trying." Pausing for a moment, he flashed a mischievous grin, something that was rarely seen on the boy's usually innocent face. "Also, this way, when I reset time, I'll actually be useful tomorrow. If we weren't going to die, I doubt I'd be doing much walking tomorrow, no thanks to you."

Dark's eyebrows rose in amazement, "Jeez, you really thought of everything. Hey wait a minute, I was fine with walking when you topped."

"That's because _I_ was gentle with you," Link shot back, his face heating up, partially because not only _having_ sex but discussing it afterwards just seemed… so embarrassing. The comment earned him a lecherous leer.

"Oh c'mon, you know you liked it. I mean, if you're _asking _for me to go harder, what am I supposed to do, say no?"

"Not leave bruises," Link muttered, and Dark laughed, rubbing one of the dark circles forming on his neck.

"Like these?"

"Yes, like those… and… lower…"

Smirking, Dark rubbed the back of his head, "I think you left some bruises on me when you topped."

Link shut his eyes, trying to hide the redness that threatened to engulf his entire face, "Th-that's different!"

Dark chuckled and got to his feet to head over and rifle through Link's pockets. Link couldn't help but stare. Much as he never would have admitted to staring, the opaque water dripping off Dark's hard toned abs and down his back to his… "Link."

"Yes?" the boy squeaked, glancing up quickly so as not to be caught admiring Dark's body.

"I think we ought to continue this conversation three days ago," he suggested, handing over the Ocarina of Time. Of course was in the last pocket he'd checked. Why wouldn't it make itself easy to locate? It wasn't like the fate of the world depended on it or anything. The sound of the Song of Time cut off his mildly irritated speculations of there being some malicious divine being whose sole purpose was to spread frustration, pulling them back to the dawn of the first day.


	11. Basecamp 2 Goron Village

**_AN: Hello again to all my readers, we're here with the latest installment of the story. I'm back from my camping trip and all that jazz waiting and eager to hear from you all. After all, with my last update, I did get quite a few reviews and I was very happy with that. _**

**_On that note, I've figured out by this point that people like my story. Go figure, eh? It's up to you guys to tell me why you like it. Let me know what I'm doing right, what you like, what you don't like, what you find funny and when my sense of humor falls a little flat. I like to know specifics so that I can use that information to make the next chapter even better! Thank you all for helping me help you help me help us all. Rest, relax, read and review. Above all, enjoy._**

**_(On a side note, I changed the title of chapter 10. It seemed like a good idea at the time but afterwards, it just felt tacky x.x)_**

~~~ Dawn of the First Day ~~~

Link stepped out of the Clock Tower, letting the ornate wooden doors swing shut behind him. Just to the left of the door stood Dark, arms crossed, one leg bend with his foot pressed against the weathered cobblestone wall behind him. "Welcome back. So, why don't your bruises count?"

Jumping back like a startled rabbit, Link barely managed to catch the yelp that threatened to escape. "B-B-Because… those are just cosmetic. What you did to me could be classified as an injury."

Dark snorted and pushed off the Clock tower. "Injury my ass… Actually, injury _your_ ass," he amended with a snicker. Comments like that seemed almost a surefire way to make the blond blush; one of Dark's favorite pastimes.

However, he knew that Dark would be Dark. It wasn't until several villagers started glancing in their direction and whispering that Link blushed. "Come on, we have work to do." Just a few steps away, he caught a mumbled 'I know you so well,' from behind. "Oh you do? And what is that supposed to mean?"

With a wry chuckle, Dark pulled an apple from his pocket, "I knew you'd say that. I also knew you'd want to be off without taking care of anything important… like breakfast. Here, now you have no reason not to eat."

Just as he was about to protest, about to say that he wasn't hungry, Link's traitorous stomach gave a loud growl, making his argument pointless. Grumbling under his breath, Link took the apple and set off northwards as quickly as he could, which wasn't particularly fast.

The Festival was the largest of the year and even at the early hour of six in the morning, the town square still held a fair amount of hustle and bustle. Carpenters pranced to and fro, carrying lumber with which to finish the large scaffolding tower in the middle of the square. It was atop this tower that the people of Termina would lay an offering to the Gods on the final night of the Festival. The tower also served as a convenient place to anchor the many strings of streamers, banners and paper lanterns that would serve as decorations for the main celebration. Although, none of the lanterns had been put up yet since the tower wasn't finished, which worked out well enough in the end. Had the decorations been done, they'd have been ruined in the rain that would come the following day.

Due to the importance of the celebration, anyone who wasn't physically unable to make the festival attended. Due to the number of people gathering in Clock Town for the momentous celebration, the potential to make money skyrocketed. Of course, with as long as the Festival of Time had been going on, people knew that this would be the case and currently, the streets were packed by those with enough foresight to do all their shopping before the noontime rush. In spite of the population boost, the sheer number of people in town assured that the streets be somewhat heavily frequented regardless of the time of day.

As such, what would have been a hurried stride was reduced to a leisurely stroll. Much as he wanted to be progressing, a strong moral presence kept Link from shoving people out of the way to get to where he was going. It forced him to stop and survey the scene while he waited for an elderly woman and her grandson to move out of the middle of the road.

Everywhere the low murmur of many voices at once filled the air, punctuated with the cries of market stalls trying to hawk their wares as well as the chopped up bits of conversations that reached the boy's ears with enough strength to be understood as real words, and not just garbled chatter.

Off to the left, a familiar jewelry stand stood next to a stand selling pottery as well as a stand for fried meat after that. The smell of meat cooking had Links mouth watering and without thinking, he brought the apple up to take a large bite out of the side, then wiping off the juice that ran down his chin. "Hey, Dark?" He looked back to see the shadow cock his head to the side. "Thank you… for always looking out for me." He stepped forward to press a quick kiss to Dark's cheek. Despite his recent commitment to be a little more romantic, he still felt the need to be chaste, at least in public. The best part was that he didn't even care about the sideways glances being cast in their direction.

Dark allowed himself a small smile as he reached up to brush several long black strands of hair from his face, tucking it behind his ear. "It's what I'm here for. Oh hey, keep going, I'll catch up!" Before Link could respond, Dark was gone, darting off into the crowds.

Past the scaffolding, in the middle of the town square, the many market stalls, and consequently, the density of the townsfolk meandering through the fair both thinned out until he reached the ramps behind the clock tower where the crowds stopped completely. From there, it was just a short walk to the northern quarter.

Aside from the a small playground and the periodic park bench, this section of town remained largely undeveloped, remaining instead as a giant park forest preserve type area. The cobblestoned streets of the other three quarters gave way to smooth dirt paths lined with flowers. Low rolling hills gave way to the moderately forested boundaries which played home to the bunnies, squirrels and other small woodland creatures that lived there.

Sighing, Link closed his eyes and took a deep breath, taking a moment to enjoy the light breeze that tousled his hair and carried the smell flowers, fresh laundry and… cooked meat? He opened his eyes to be greeted by Dark, standing there with two… something's. "What are those?" Link asked curiously. Whatever they were, they sure smelled good.

"It's some festival food I found at a stall," Dark stated proudly. "They're rolls of cooked beef wrapped in bread. They call it a hotdog. Pretty cool idea, huh?"

Link took the offered food, looking it over. It did seem to be a beef roll on bread

"And this?" He asked in reference to the topping.

"Some kind of tomato paste. They called it 'ketchup'," Dark answered around a mouthful of food, and then swallowed it down only to start chuckling. "And I told you I'd 'catch up'. Get it?" Catch up with ketchup. The sheer corniness of the joke made it terrible enough but despite the unimpressed groan and rolling eyes, Dark seemed convinced that it was just the funniest thing in the world. Much to Link's frustration, he continued to snicker all the way to the northern gate where, as usual, something had to get in the way.

"Halt! I can't let kids leave town, it's too dangerous out there. There are monsters in the fields!" The guard stood his ground squarely in front of the exit to town with a slightly sharp spear to use as a prod if necessary. Obviously, there had been some problems with rowdy kids trying to get out before.

Growling in frustration, Link stomped his foot on the ground and crushing a poor, unsuspecting ant underfoot in the process. "Dark, why do guards always _insist_ on treating me like an infant? I'm sixteen years old for Farore's sake!"

Of course, the ever attentive shadow had his attention somewhere else entirely. "Did you just stomp your foot? Isn't that kinda... well... y'know...?"

He'd been about to say 'girly' but like before, the guard had to interrupt the exchange. This time, it was with a shout of "Heretics!" and lunging forward with his spear. Only his quick, battle trained reflexes saved Link from getting slashed across the chest. A split second later, Dark was there, grabbing he haft of the guards spear with his right and using his left hand to take the guard down with a quick chop to the throat. The man dropped to the ground, gasping and spitting up blood as the Hylians ran past.

"Dark, is he going to be ok?" Link's voice echoed through the stone archway as they ran out into the lush field beyond.

"Don't know, don't care. Last time this happened, we ended up with a mob so save the chitchat for later!"

After several minutes of looking, it became apparent that the local constabulary of Clock Town had not chosen to pursue beyond the borders of their city. Perhaps the villagers, for some reason did not want to leave the stone walls. Or maybe it was just the fact that the only guard in the area was busy choking on his own blood. Either way, the run from Clock Town left them a relatively short jaunt from their destination. The Snowhead Mountains loomed in the distance, the icy peaks gleaming in the early morning sunlight. Leaving through the North exit had the mountains significantly closer than their previous method, during which they'd effectively started at the bottom and circumnavigated the entire city... in the rain. Within just two short hours of brisk walking, they arrived at the base of the mountains. The beginning of the trail was wide and easy, frosted with liberal amounts of thick, fluffy snow. 'Not the best for packing,' Dark mused to himself, 'but it'll do.'

"Don't even think about it," Link called over his shoulder, his voice stern enough to not invite any other interpretation to his words, yet gentle enough to not sound harsh.

Dark sighed for his crafty little plan, shot down before it could mature into a fully fledged snowball. After all, considering how the last snowball thrown had turned out, of course he was hoping for a repeat performance, but it didn't seem to be in the cards today. "You can be such a killjoy, y'know that?" Dark pouted.

When Link got himself focused on something, there was no distracting him. Understandably, Dark was taken completely by surprise when the blond suddenly spun around and tackled him. Landing on his back with a grunt and a small explosion of snow, Dark just lay there, pinned beneath a hundred fifty pounds of lean muscled swordsman. The pallid sunlight filtered through the snowflakes caught in Link's hair, casting little sparkles on his cheeks as he leaned in to envelope Dark's lips in a warm kiss.

Just as soon as it started, it was over and Link was on his feet, offering a hand to help Dark to his feet. Dubiously, the confused Shadow grasped the offered hand, letting it haul him to his feet. "There, now you can stop fantasizing about it so we can get to work." Nodding absently, Dark floated along behind, following Link's lead.

The second trek up the mountain went much quicker than the first, partly from having seen the terrain earlier as well as having decent light to see by, at least up until the wall of giant snowballs. With a full three days to spend, the previous sense of urgency wasn't quite as noticeable. "You're not blowing yourself up again," Dark muttered, fully ready for Link to object which would spark an argument, but the boy just nodded, walked up and plunged his hands into the mounds of snow. A few moments of furious digging and the wall collapsed into an uneven ramp.

"Y'know..." Dark began after several seconds of staring, "You could have just done that instead of playing kamikaze," Dark pointed out in between grunts from clambering up the snow pile.

"No... It rains tomorrow and turns the snow to ice."

As usual, Dark had no counter argument for that. Damned rationality. "Why do you always have to make me look like an idiot?" Dark asked, only half playfully as they continued their climb towards the mountain summit. The reason for the question was just to start conversation and distract from the cold. Though, reflecting back on it, the weather, though brisk and uncomfortable wasn't nearly so bad as it had been last time. It was almost as though the weather grew worse as time went on as though reflecting the impending cataclysm.

"You aren't stupid, Dark; you just don't pay attention to the small details. How to you think _I_ feel when you say something witty and charming and suddenly my heart is in my throat?" Sighing, Link turned around to face his partner, awkwardly kicking at the snow. "I know I'm not very... good at this whole relationship thing but the way you make it seem so effortless makes me feel... clumsy I suppose is a good word."

Clumsy, Link? Considering his numerous athletic feats in their many battles were more than enough to discount such a notion. Similarly, the concept of social ineptitude wasn't applicable to the young Kokiri... so there was only one way to describe him then. "Yeah, you're emotionally retarded," Dark replied casually, stretching his arms behind his head.

Eyes widening, Link spun around and stomped on off up the hill, with Dark strolling along behind him. "E-excuse me!?" he stammered, though the crunch of snow beneath his boots managed to muffle that, at least a little bit.

At least, walking now he wasn't able to see the smug grin plastered on his shadow's face. "It makes perfect sense. You don't know how to react when it has to do with 'feelings'. You let how you think other people think you should act affect you. It gets in the way of doing what _you_ want because you're so busy trying to be the hero you think the world needs that you can't stop and be yourself for five minutes... and that's why you can't be selfish.

It didn't take too long for Link to realize that the analysis was spot on, and he couldn't help but feel impressed for Dark's in depth analysis of him... Then again, having been together for more than a year, he ought to know things like that. "Yes... You're absolutely right... I _am_ trying though... You can tell, can't you?"

Dark grinned, sending Link stumbling forward with an overly hearty pat on the back. "Yes yes, I can tell, and don't worry, I'm a patient guy. Hell, I'd better be with all the work it took just to get you to go out with me in the first place!"

Huffing to himself, Link quickened his stride to try and avoid embarrassing himself by having to comment on that. Fortunately, right at that moment, the snow mounded roof of the mountain smithy appeared over the top of the hill, sparing him from having to do so. Power walking to the front door, Link strode inside and whipped out his blade, tossing it down on the table," I have business in Goron Village. I plan to be coming back this way shortly. Can you sharpen my sword for thirty five rupees? If you can't, I know a good Goron smith who will." Blinking in surprise, Link actually started to sweat. The stone forge set against the left wall, tended by a large troll looking creature in a metal mask, glowed with bright, hot embers.

Wide eyed, the smithy owner fell off the faded green couch where he'd been sleeping, looking around in a panic as he tried to figure out what was going on. The metal masked giant in the back gave a large shout brandishing his hammer in the air. "Thirty five?" the man asked weakly. When Link started to reach for his sword to leave, the man broke. "I... I... fine! Thirty five it is. Your sword will be ready in about two hours... Gabora... no coffee today," he conceded, climbing back onto his couch in defeat. Dark had no sooner made it inside then they were leaving again.

The brisk wind bit all the harder after the short jaunt in the warm mountain smithy, but despite how much he wanted to keep moving, Link first sat down on the first step of the building, took his boots off to emptied the snow that had accumulated inside them. There wasn't time to really get warm but surely he could hold off frostbite until Goron village; it wasn't that far away. Once Link had put his boots back on, the boys continued away from the deep furrows in the snow that they'd mad on their way up the mountain. Conversation stayed to a minimum with the threat of avalanche quite literally looming overhead, leaving the pair with chattering teeth, trudging through knee deep snow.

Even thought a shout had set off the avalanche before, every single falling snowflake carried with it the same sense of foreboding that was the potential to turn into a roaring cascade of snow. Every moderate gust of wind accompanied a shiver and a tensing of muscles, ready to make an all out sprint for dear life at a moment's notice. The tension lasted all the way to the mouth of the frozen valley where, during summer, a small waterfall fed into a river that blocked the way to the Goron Settlement. It could only be passed by a series of bridges that connected from island to island, each one going progressively higher to the gorge entrance which stood a good twenty feet about the churning water below. Since it was winter, the river had frozen over and was therefore traversable but the bridges remained the only way to get to Goron village.

Off down in the valley, tottering across the final island coming towards the smithy, an aged Goron slowly made his way through the snow. Dark frowned, thinking back, "Wasn't there a White Wolfos hiding on that one?" Nodding, Link pulled out his bow, set and arrow to the string and pulled, but the string didn't want to move. The exposure to cold had tightened the string, making it harder than usual to pull back. Having numb fingers didn't help any, but a grunt and a hard yank got it past the breaking point, getting the string to his cheek. At his slow pace, the old Goron took a moment to spring the ambush, but sure enough, one of the piles of snow began to move of its own accord. The white fur of the wolf, unsurprising, made excellent camouflage in the arctic tundra, but its red tongue and coal black eyes presented a small, but obvious target amidst all the white.

A single light twang, carried away by the wind signaled the death of the wolf as a single arrow pierced through its skull. As usual, the golden triangle on the back of Link's hand gave off a light glow. At the same time, the body of the blue wolf burst into blue flames that consumed it entirely. Within just seconds, nothing at all remained of it. They slid more than walked down towards the old Goron, encouraged by the wind chill to make haste in doing so. "Are you alright?" Link asked of the bewildered looking rock creature.

"Huh? Who are...? No no, must be my imagination. I must be going senile... or it's the cold or... Wait! Maybe you're an evil spirit sent to distract me!" The old man took another unsteady step forward, struggling past the two teenagers. While Link rifled through his pockets, Dark spent his time marveling at this... thing before them. Gorons as a race tended to have a sturdy build, but whatever muscle the old man once possessed had long since sagged away. A distinctly mop-like mane of limp, stringy grey hair rested atop his head, hanging down to conceal most of his face. What Dark could see of it involved a pair of horribly swollen lips jutting from one of the most wrinkled faces he'd ever seen. How did a sentient rock creature manage to get wrinkles in the first place? Immediately after wondering this, the image popped into his head of a craftsman painstakingly chiseling each line into the aged stone face, like some kind of coming-of-age ceremony for Goron senior citizens.

Link finally found the mask he'd been looking for when his partner burst into a fit of giggles. "Sometimes I wonder about you," Link mumbled through the coarse wood latching onto his face. A strange, all over his body as it forcibly stretched his skin into its new shape. It was _only_ the looming threat of avalanche that allowed Link to bite back a scream as he completed his transformation. The final stage of the process involved a searing flash of agonizing pain that lasted but a single heartbeat. When it was over, Link was once again a gruff, burly Goron warrior, complete with spiked, bone carapace.

"Darmani! Is it really you? We... thought you'd died... No! You did die, and this is another trick!" The old man rasped, shaking harder than before. For a moment, Link worried that he might be fighting off a heart attack but after a moment of gasping and wheezing, he continued, "I am going to Snowhead in Darmani's place to plead with Lord Goht to allow spring to come."

Frowning, the imposter Goron considered what to say and indeed, was hesitated to say anything. If nothing else, just the sound of his, admittedly, rather silly sounding Goron voice might send his partner into another laughing fit. Link hated being laughed at... but... it was necessary. "There was an avalanche so I wasn't able to make it there." Well, that much was true at least. There had been an avalanche... and suddenly, what he'd been doing immediately after said avalanche, while totally unrelated, wouldn't leave Link's head. Fortunately, Goron's don't blush. "Is there... another way to Snowhead?" he asked, trying to stay focused on the task at hand and at the same time conveniently ignoring the fact that he didn't know the way to Snowhead in the first place.

"Another way? Hmm... Yes, behind the human smithy down in the valley, there is a narrow path that leads up to the peak."

Ah, progress. The marginally clever plan met with tremendous success. "But..."

Some success anyways. "Darmasos is up there and you will need to convince him to let you pass."

Link nodded slowly, pretending to know who or what Darmasos was. "We-erm, I... was headed back to the village for a little rest and supplies before I try again."

Usually Dark kept his mouth shut when Link was having an important conversation but this time he couldn't help but groan and as," Ugh, does that mean that kid is going to still be crying?" For the first time, the elderly Goron acknowledged Dark's presence. "Is that... Darmito crying?"

"He was crying for his daddy," Link replied without really answering the question.

"My son... My son misses me..." The old man's eyes misted over with frozen tears."I remember back when he was a baby and he'd cry, I'd play a song to help him get to sleep." Lost in his reminiscing, the old man pulled out a small drum set, rapping his knuckles on the stretched Dodongo hide that Gorons used in most of their crafting. Link listened intently to the piece.

Dark, however, had no such interest; he was far too busy shuffling in place and rubbing his arms in a futile effort to try and keep warm. It was times like this that Dark envied his own job the least. "Standing around with nothin' to do but freeze my balls of isn't my idea of fun," Dark grumbled under his breath.

Fortunately Link had learned what he wanted to learn, though they would have been leaving anyways, as the old man staggered off, shouting something, though the wind caught his words and carried them away. Shrugging, Dark started walking with Link right behind him in the midst of pulling off his mask. "I can't say I'm particularly fond of being a Goron." Since his body was in the middle of transforming, the words came out strangely distorted. Flexing his shoulders, Link sighed, glad to be back in his own body again.

'_Of course not. Being a fat, old,__**dead**__rock monster is__**not**__ hot,'_ but as true as it was, Dark just couldn't bring himself to say it. Instead, he moved to a different topic that had crossed his mind. "So... the old man... and the little kid... How to Goron's have babies?" Dark asked in earnest curiosity about other species. Sadly though, his desire for knowledge would go unfulfilled.

"That... I don't know and it's not something I plan on finding out," the boy stated flatly. Actually pausing to consider it, Dark learned why.

The mental image wasn't at all pleasant. "Yeah... I think we can skip that one," Dark groaned, feeling more than a little disgusted that the image of the scrawny, saggy old Goron male in the middle of the mating process wouldn't leave his head... especially since the female in this particular scenario was morbidly obese and incredibly ugly as well. "Ugh... gross...

"Hm?" Link asked in passing the stationary Dark.

"You don't wanna know..."

Link snorted. "You're thinking about it, aren't you?"

"Yup."

By the time they reached the top of the plateau overlooking Goron Village, the snow had stopped almost completely, they the walk down the ground level was still treacherous due to the thick shell of ice covering the ramps down to the village. On the way down the slippery slope, they saw several Gorons milling around outside, engaged in various chores like patching cracks in buildings with mud from a bucket, or just enjoying the weather. The effect of seeing actual inhabitants made the village seem infinitely livelier than it had last time. Of course, Link could hardly blame them for not being outside in the middle of a raging blizzard.

When he'd been transformed, Link had noticed that the cold wasn't nearly so bad for a Goron as it was for a human... On the other hand, when the cold managed to finally penetrate through their dense rock bodies, they also felt it much worse.

Down near the base of the spiraling ramps, one of the Gorons rolled up several feet away, stood and waddled the rest of the way. "Ohh, visitors, welcome to Goron Village!"

"Thank you," Link replied, bowing politely. "We'd like to do some shopping for supplies. Do you think you could open the door for us?"

The Goron grinned, ecstatic at the thought of money walking on into the village while it was very nearly inaccessible with no encouragement. "Of course!" Curling himself into a ball, the Goron rolled to the door and popped up into the air, slamming back down into the ground. The shock hit some kind of underground mechanism, making a series of hidden gears turn, pulling the heavy stone slab up into the door-frame. As soon as the door was open, the boys scurried inside. Just seconds later, the grinding stopped and the door fell back into place.

Out of the fresh air, the dank, musty scent of dirt rose up to greet the newcomers. So too did the loud, incessant crying that echoed through the dome. "For fuck's sake, does he cry all day?" Dark muttered under his breath. Link just shrugged, walking up the outer ramp to the upper level where the shrill whining originated from.

"I don't know, but I bet I could tell you why so many Gorons are outside now.

Dark nodded, with a grimace, rubbing his ears from the high pitched squealing, punctuated only by the occasional sob. His inclination was to just leave and try to tough it out but just to spare the headache, but they_ did_ need rations if nothing else. Up at the top of the ramp, just outside the doorway of the main audience chamber of the building, Link stopped and leaned against the wall. Cold, calloused fingers pressed against the well worn holes of the pale blue Ocarina of Time. The high notes cut even through the young Goron's crying with a slow and soothing melody that cause all in the underground building to stop and yawn, looking lethargically for the source of the melody, but anyone with the will to locate it would only make it a few steps before falling in their tracks to a happy, dreamless slumber.

"Wow, not bad Kid," Dark applauded his partner for bringing a much needed silence. This compliment didn't even slow the Hero in his stately trot back down to ground level, hopping off the ramp when it was just a few feet above the ground to make his way towards the general store.

"They say that music soothes the savage beast. I've always found that to be true." After a moment, "And don't call me kid. It's irritating enough when the adults do it, I don't need you doing it too. Besides, I'm older than you." Even though they didn't know for sure, it made sense and pretty much _had to be,_after all, how could Ganondorf have made a clone of someone who wasn't born yet? Despite that it should have been a simple statement of (probably) fact; it still came out a little testily.

Dark just shrugged, passing beneath the beaded red curtain that marked the entrance into the shop and proceeded to plunder the shelves. "Man, it is nice not to hear the brat screaming." It was also nice to keep up conversation because the section of the store holding 'Goron snacks,' namely different types of rocks was not yielding fruitful results.

"Yes... And it's just as well. I have a theory." Dark poke his head around the corner to see his partner leaned against the counter twirling a lock of hair between his fingers, deep in thought. "Did you know that 'Dar' is a common prefix to male Goron names? The Goron elder mentioned a 'Darmasos' who, just judging by the name could be some kind of Goron guard... which is good to know because the song the Elder taught me knocked out everyone upstairs as well as our shopkeeper friend here," Link reached down with his free hand to pat that back of the snoozing Goron's bald head. "Right Mr. Shopkeeper?"

The shopkeeper didn't respond, though he did start to drool on the counter. "Exactly."

"So then the little brat is Dar something or other... Don't even care what his name is, oh, and we are _not_ having kids," Dark muttered, rubbing his forehead. "What?" He asked when he caught Link giving him an amused look.

"We _can't_ have kids. If that time in the hot spring was any indication, we're both obviously male. Do I need to tell you about 'The fairies and the butterflies'?"

Dark actually blushed at the comment, (something that rarely ever happened.) "I _know_ that," he hissed, lightly slugging the other boy in the shoulder (which happened far more often). "I just meant that you're not going to go all bleedin' heart on me and insist that we adopt some poor orphan kid off the streets!

"Uh huh." Link crossed his arms, grinning at Dark tripping over himself to try and explain himself. "We'll have '_the talk_' later just in case.

"Yeah, well, who made you so smart?" Dark huffed, mirroring his partner's stance and waiting for an answer, and the answer that he got surprised him if nothing else. "Rauru? The bald old man taught you about that stuff? Wow, that's ironic. The virgin teaching a virgin... well, at the time. I took care of that," Dark added smugly, taking a thick jacket of black Dodongo leather from a metal hook on the wall while Link collected small pouches filled with strip of dried Dodongo meat. Curious, Dark opened one of the packets to taste what a crudely drawn cartoon character on the package declared via speech bubble to be, "Dodongo Jerky."

"Not good?" Link asked, seeing Dark's disgusted expression at tasting the tough, heavily salted meat strip.

"Bleh, no, there's way too much salt. It tastes like a shoe with seasoning." Dark spat out the mouthful of crunchy salt crystals for emphasis. "Why can't we bring some real food instead?" he asked, pointing to a low shelf where a number of legs of meat dangled on strings over the bottom slab of stone. Judging from the size, they had to be from Dodongos also since each leg of meat could also make an effective club. Just the femur bone poking from the meat was the length of Link's forearm. "I bet they taste better and fill you up more."

"Space," Link replied absently, looking over a leather carrying bag with shoulder straps. It seemed to meet his standards since he started filling it with Dodongo Jerky. "If you want one, fine, but we need something we can easily carry." With the food situation taken care of, he went to go join his shadow in pillaging clothes. After getting dressed in his new attire of black and red striped pants with a jacket to match Dark's, they left the store. In order to satisfy his conscience, Link left their last purple rupee with the sleeping shopkeeper.

"Y'know, you really are too naive sometimes. It's not like he's ever going to get to _use_ that money for anything," Dark pointed out as they left.

"I know... but it makes me feel better." Still, even in Link's mind, that didn't feel like justification, but it was someone else's property and stealing, even under the circumstances made him feel extremely uncomfortable. Sensing his hesitance to elaborate, Dark didn't pursue the issue.

A lever by the door made exiting far easier than entering since it didn't require a native to operate the door. Strangely, outside was actually nice compared to how it had been. The snow stopped and the sun beat down from directly overheard, raising the temperature to a balmy thirty six degrees and the number of Gorons wandering around outside tripled. Small Gorons rolled through the snow while parents stood around talking and simply enjoying the weather. Off to the right, sitting sheltered inside a cave sat the single biggest bomb either of the two Hylians had ever seen.

A giant wooden barrel, about a foot taller than Link with a large grinning skull on the front sat with the top off. Inside, thin wooden dividers separated compartments for different types and amounts of gun powder. The nearby Goron tending to the bomb turned to see the awestruck teens. "Impressive, huh? This powder keg is getting launched into the sky for the fireworks festival! It's gonna be the star of the whole fireworks display," the Goron added with a note of pride, patting the giant bomb. He could have bragged about it some more but Dark had other things on his mind.

"What's a powder keg?"

The Goron pointed towards a smaller row of barrels resting inside a cave in the mountain and several had their tops off so that their contents could be taken and consolidated." They're kegs packed with blasting powder. They're like bombs but a whole lot more powerful!" Bigger better bombs? Yes, the concept definitely appealed to Link but before he could even open his mouth and ask for one, the Goron added, "But these are too heavy for humans to carry."

_'Not that that's going to stop me_' Link thought to himself, rubbing the pocket that held his Goron Mask.

"It's almost done but it's only stopped snowing for a few hours around noon the last few days. I haven't had much opportunity to work on it." The Goron sighed, shaking his great bald head. "I don't know if I'll be able to get it finished on time."

"And if you do get it finished, how're you gonna get a giant bomb all the way to Clock Town in the snow?" Dark asked, only belatedly considering that perhaps the Goron hadn't thought of this yet. He wasn't sure how he'd react if the thing broke down and started crying out here in public.

Fortunately there was an answer and public scandal was avoided. "I engineered some slats of wood to act like sleds so I can slide it down the mountain." Going over to the workbench deeper inside the bomb's cave, he showed them several of his flat slabs of wood, curved up at one end to let even the exceedingly heavy bomb to move easily over the lightly packed snow.

Suddenly, Link's head snapped up and he asked, "Do you need all of them or are some of these extras?"

"Hm? I only need four of them. The rest were just for practice to get them in the right shape. Why... Did you want some?" he asked slowly, getting an enthusiastic nod in response.

"Yes please, one for each of us. Thank you very much sir. Now then, we really ought to be going before it starts getting cold again, right Dark? Good luck at the festival sir!" and with that, he was running through the snow towards the village entrance.

"Your brother is a bit strange," The Goron said and Dark nodded, not bothering to correct the mistake.

"Yeah, love him anyways." Bidding the Goron a quick farewell, he dashed off towards his partner.

As he'd guessed, the bridge wasn't that bad. While it wasn't enough to melt the snow, the presence of the sun shining right overhead at least kept the howling wind down to a muted growl. As it was, the jog across the bridge was a quiet, uneventful and welcome change from the usual constant danger that seemed to lurk around anywhere of importance.

Though it didn't have the same strength-sapping potential of the earlier wine, the air still chill the lungs enough to slow the heroes to a walk by the last island before the opposite bank. Overhead, the chirps of winter birds rang through the air, further enforcing the odd sense of tranquility. Once the mountain Smithy came into view, Link picked up his jog once again, following the deep furrows their previous jaunt through had left. By the time Dark made it there, Link was already back outside with his trusty sword. "How's the edge?" Dark asked, eyeing the freshly polished blade.

"Razor sharp. I like it. Now, let's go find some things to cut.

They located the trail after just a few minutes of searching the small valley only to find that the trail was more just a fissure. At some point in the distant past, a tectonic shift had split the rock face with a vertical crack. The constant wear and tear of both time and the elements had widened this imperfection into something arguably passable. The steep path was littered the entire way with unstable icy boulders. Oftentimes, there wouldn't be much, if anything to hold onto, forcing a little ingenuity in the climbing process, but together, they persevered.

The trail continued farther up into the mountains, getting more cramped and slick the higher they went. Every few minutes, one of the heroes would slip, adding to their collection of bruises. To make matters worse, the narrow ravine channeled each gust of wind straight down the rock walls into their faces, chilling ears and making noses run.

"Why do you have those things with you?" Dark asked, referencing the wooden boards strapped to Link's back. So far all they'd done was slow him down and get in the way. "I hope it's not just for firewood. "

In truth, they'd helped shield Dark from some of the wind. They'd also allowed a few errant gusts to nearly drag Link airborne. Finally, after much struggling, they reached the top cold and miserable but the breath-taking sight that awaited there was almost worth it.

The Temple of Snowhead stood off in the distance, a single tall spire of gleaming ice, jutting proudly into the sky as the sole landmark in a sea of darkness. Only one narrow, winding bridge of ice provided a pathway to the otherwise totally secluded Temple.

Powerful blasts of air buffeted the building, hurling walls of snow in circles around the immovable building like a barrier. "_That_ is where we need to go?" Dark asked incredulously. The trail descended sharply for several miles before tapering off into the bridge area which spanned another two miles at least and the bridge didn't look too wide at all. One wrong move in that violent wind would spell a long fall into the endless black abyss that radiated outwards from Snowhead.

"That's right… Snowhead awaits."


End file.
